


Irish Coffee and Martini

by ElvenOfRivendell



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Aragorn - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Smut, Thranduil - Freeform, Triangle drama, elrond - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:08:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 31,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElvenOfRivendell/pseuds/ElvenOfRivendell
Summary: A young elf woman, Alassë, sings at the Green Dragon, a bar owned and run by Aragorn. One night she notices two handsome elves in the audience. One drinks martinis, one drinks Irish Coffee. They both take a liking to her. Which one will she choose, will she choose either?
Relationships: Elrond Peredhel/Original Female Character(s), Thranduil (Tolkien)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 65





	1. Irish Coffee and Martini

_ Music played, and people sang... _

_ Just for me, the church bells rang…... _

Alassë ran her hand up her body as the song flowed out of her. The dim light of the bar grazed her face and her eyes shut.

_ Now he's gone, I don't know why _ _  
_ _ Until this day, sometimes I cry _ _  
_ _ He didn't even say goodbye _ _  
_ _ He didn't take the time to lie. _ _  
_ _ Bang bang, he shot me down _ _  
_ _ Bang bang, I hit the ground _ _  
_ _ Bang bang, that awful sound _ _  
_ _ Bang bang, my baby shot me down… _

She finished the song and opened her eyes. They instantly landed on one of the elves in the first row. He sat alone at a table for two, a martini in one hand. On his other hand he was resting his chin, watching Alassë intently with steely blue eyes. It was a cold look, yet appreciative and hungry. He did not come here often, she knew. She flashed him a tiny smile before the band behind her started playing the next song. She refocused her look to her mic.

_ Birds flying high, you know how I feel... _

While she sang, her eyes wandered the bar. Mostly seeing human men. A few elves, a couple dwarves. Not that many women. There usually weren’t on Fridays. On Fridays, the men came alone. Perhaps they didn’t want their wives and girlfriends to see how they looked at her. A dark haired elf stood lounging in a doorway. With the way he was looking at her, Alassë truly hoped he had no lady at home. His drink was the same colour as his hair. Coffee, as warm as his gaze. Cream on top, as soft as his smile. 

_ It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life… for me… and I’m feeling good… _

She swayed her hips as she sang, running her hand through her long curly hair, smirking as the Irish Coffee drinking elf followed her hand movements down her body. Her tight dress glittered like a thousand diamonds as the red lights hit her.

_ I’m feeling good… _

The slit of the dress revealed her entire leg as she took a few steps forward, teasing the Martini elf with a seductive look as if he was the only one in the whole room. His fingers almost seemed to slip from his martini glass, but they found their strength a moment later, and the elf shifted in his seat, still watching her closely.

_ Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean, _

_ Don't you know? _

_ Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean _

_ Sleep in peace when day is done, that's what I mean… _

Her eyes darted back to Irish Coffee. His drink was almost finished, and the look in his eyes had grown darker, almost jealous that he didn’t have her undivided attention. His eyes darted between her and the elf with the martini, trying to see who the other man was that stole the singer’s attention.

_ And this old world is a new world _

_ And a bold world _

_ For me _

_ For me! _

She danced, gesturing with her hands, flipping her hair, swinging her hips, never once breaking eye contact with Irish Coffee, not until the very last line of the song.

_ I’m feeling good… I feel so good… I feel so good… _

Her hand danced dangerously close to where the slit of her dress ended, and she smiled, winking at Irish Coffee before looking back to the band. This was a good night.

“Thank you, everyone, you’ve been  _ so  _ great tonight,” she said as she put the mic back in its stand, smiling at the pleased crowd. Every man in the bar clapped except for Martini and Irish Coffee, who had found each other by now, looking at each other from opposite sides of the room. They didn’t look happy, but they did appear to know each other from earlier.

“After show special please,” Alassë asked Aragorn, who nodded and mixed her up a hot ginger toddy.

“You’ve been offered at least ten beers, five whiskeys and several  _ anything she wants _ . Still not gonna take up any of the offers?” he asked as he poured.

“Any one coming from the blond elf with the martini or the brown haired one with the Irish?” she asked.

“No.” Aragorn shook his head and handed her a wad of cash. The tips that the patrons gave him and asked him to give to the singer.   
“Then I’m good,” she said, smiled and thanked Aragorn for the drink, which she took with her into the dressing room, hurrying in there before any of the slimey men at the bar could speak to her.


	2. Irish Coffee

The next Friday, it was Rock night at the Green Dragon. Usually the theme was jazzy, bluesy, country or vintage, but once a month it was Rock night. Elves usually didn’t bother showing up, and the bar tended to fill up with men and dwarves as well as the occasional hobbit. Gone was the sparkling evening gown, on were the black ripped jeans, fish nets, red lace top and black leather jacket. Alassë had lined her eyes with a sultry smudged liner, and her lips were blood red. Her long curls were messy in that just-fucked kind of way that earned her plenty of tips. The only thing about her that never changed was the wolf necklace she wore around her neck.

“Your friends are here again,” Aragorn said as he poured her a glass of Baileys. “They must be big fans, they’re the only elves here except yourself.” Alassë looked around. There in a corner sat the blond, a martini in his hand again. This time he wasn’t in the front row. Instead, the brunet sat in that seat. Alassë smiled at the Irish coffee he had ordered. She downed her liqueur and waggled her eyebrows at Aragorn.

“Must be my lucky night. Laters,” she said and hopped up on stage. Immediately there were cheers, whistles and applause. “Hey guys, good evening!” she announced, smiling at the crowd. “How are we all doing tonight, we ready to rock?” she asked and ran a hand through her hair. The cheers grew louder. 

Her eyes found Martini and Irish Coffee. 

“Would you look at that, I haven’t had elves here on Rock night since, like, ever! And so handsome, on top of that,” she said and laughed. The crowd laughed along, except a few dwarves in the corner who booed loudly. Both elves smiled smugly, then the band started playing. Alassë took a breath and got in the zone, the Baileys still warming her insides.

_ Back in Black, I hit the sack _ _   
_ _ I’ve been too long, I’m glad to be back _ _   
_ _ Yes I am, let loose from the noose _

__ As she sang today she ground her hips rather than swinging them, raking her nails across her own thighs as she observed her audience. Horny dwarves, horny men, and two elves whose faces she couldn’t decipher. Irish Coffee was nodding along to the music despite not looking too familiar with it. She didn’t imagine he listened to rock or metal. Tonight she took the time to observe his clothing. The crisp black suit sat snugly over his broad shoulders, the pressed white shirt didn’t have a single button undone, and the tie he wore was black silk. He even wore a silver tie bar. He looked so out of place, but handsome. Devastatingly handsome with his stern yet kind face, and one long lock of hair hanging in front of each ear, the rest flowing behind him perfectly.

_ I got nine lives, cat’s eyes _ _   
_ _ Abusin’ every one of them and runnin’ wild _ _   
_ _ Cause I’m back! _

__ Martini, however, was dressed more for the occasion. Though he, too, wore a white pressed shirt, his was slightly unbuttoned, without a tie, and he styled it with a leather coat. His long blond hair was tied behind him tonight. Alassë preferred when it hung free. Martini was older than she was, but younger than Irish Coffee. And he was leaner, skinnier. And taller.

_ Nobody's gonna get me on another rap  
_ _ So look at me now I'm just makin' my play _ _   
_ _ Don't try to push your luck just get out of my way _ _   
_ _ Cause I'm back _

__ She shifted her focus to the bar, where Aragorn poured beer and whiskey. He appreciated Rock night. It was a welcome break from the time consuming drinks usually ordered by elves. Not to be mistaken, he enjoyed mixing and inventing drinks, but Rock night was his night to relax, just pour, and enjoy the music. AC/DC was his favourite band, which is why Alassë always opened with an AC/DC song. Aragorn looked up at her and smiled as she powered through the last lines of the song.

_ Back in black  
_ _ Yes I’m back in black _ _   
_ _ Outta sight _

She danced through the outro and bowed through the applause. She did her best that night to focus on the rest of the crowd as well, not just the two gorgeous elves. Her next song was  _ Enter Sandman  _ and she took it upon herself to blow a few kisses to some headbanging dwarves and wink at some of the men sober enough to notice. She noticed Aragorn laughing and shaking his head at her out of the corner of her eye. She sang  _ Paradise City  _ by Guns N’ Roses and  _ Seven Nation Army  _ by The White Stripes before she even looked at the elves again. Only during  _ Do ya think I’m sexy  _ by Rod Stewart did they get her attention once more.

_ She sits alone, waiting for suggestions _ _   
_ _ He's so nervous, avoiding all the questions _ _   
_ _ His lips are dry, her heart is gently pounding _ _   
_ _ Don't you just know exactly what they're thinking _ _   
_ _ If you want my body and you think I'm sexy _ _   
_ _ Come on, sugar, let me know _ _   
_ _ If you really need me, just reach out and touch me _ _   
_ _ Come on, honey, tell me so, tell me so, baby _

Her eyes darted between Irish Coffee and Martini, who were both on their second glasses now. They both seemed to enjoy this song more than any of the others. Whether it was because of the music or the lyrics, she didn’t know, but they both smiled when Alassë appeared to ask them to reach out and touch her. Pity for Martini, as he was sat in the back, but Irish Coffee was so close, and during the bridge she walked to the edge of the stage, bent down and reached for him.

_ If you really need me, just reach out and touch me… _ _   
_ _ Come on sugar let me know… _

His hand was warm, and his grip was firm, sending electric jolts through her. The world stopped for a moment and Irish Coffee smiled at her warmly. 

“Just letting you know,” his low voice rang. She had thought she would tease him, but in the end it was she that didn’t want to let go.

_ If you, if you, if you really need me, just come on and tell me so _

She slipped her hand out of his as the world came back to her. In the back, she noticed Martini’s eyes dark with anger. She sang one last song before getting off stage.  _ The Golden age of Rock’n’Roll. _

After bowing, curtsying and thanking the crowd, she scurried down to Aragorn as usual. He handed her her tips and her hot ginger toddy for which she thanked him.

“Good job tonight,” he praised. “Your friends pleased?”

“They’re not my friends, I don’t even know their names,” Alassë replied with a chuckle. Aragorn raised his eyebrows.

“No, you just refer to them as their drinks. One of which, by the way, you’ve been offered,” he said, catching her interest.

“Oh? Which one?” she asked eagerly. The bartender shook his head at her.

“I’m not telling you unless you guess right. If you accept, he’ll come and talk to you, if not, he said he’d leave you alone,” Aragorn said and Alassë smiled.

“I’ll have that Irish Coffee, then,” she said. He grinned and nodded.

“You’re an excellent judge of character. What did it?” he asked as he prepared the coffee drink.

“Martini looks like the type of guy who wouldn’t take no for an answer. He looks too jealous to tell the bartender he would  _ leave me alone  _ if I didn’t accept his drink. Irish coffee, though... He’s got a kind face, he’d never bother a woman who didn’t want his advances.”

“Irish coffee, is that what you call me?” the low, friendly voice came from behind her. She spun around, taken aback by his presence, but when she saw him up close, she smiled.

“It’s the only thing I know about you,” she said softly.

“And that I have a kind face and don’t bother ladies unless they want to be bothered,” he retorted with a cheeky smile, which Alassë returned.

“That too. Care to fill me in on your name?” she asked. Irish Coffee offered her his hand.

“Elrond.”

“Alassë,” she replied and went to shake his hand, but he took hers and brought it to his lips, giving it a kiss. If holding his hand sent electric jolts through her, his lips conjured up a fucking thunder storm. She stroked her own hand when he released it.

“What a gentleman,” she teased.

“Here’s your drink, Ally,” Aragorn said and served her up her Irish coffee. She took a sip and hummed lightly to herself.

“Technically I haven’t accepted the drink until now. You should’ve waited,” she joked.

“ _ Technically,  _ you accepted it before he started making the coffee. As soon as I saw him pour the coffee, I knew.” He smiled and waggled his eyebrows. “So. Anyone ever tell you you’re a wonderful singer?” He sat down on the stool next to her.

“Yes. Surely you can do better than that,” she joked with a smirk on her face.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re the single most beautiful woman on this planet?” he asked seriously. Alassë’s breath got caught in her throat.

“Can’t say they have,” she said timidly.

“What a shame. You should be told so everyday.”

“Thank you.” She smiled and ran her eyes up and down Elrond’s body, giving him a once over. The slacks matched his suit jacket, and on his feet he wore beautifully polished oxfords. “You ever been to a rock bar before?” she asked with a chuckle.

“No,” he said honestly. “Why, do you think I look out of place?” he asked, extending his hands to his sides in a questioning manner. Alassë laughed.

“A little, yes.” He scoffed at her. “Okay, a lot,” she teased. Now he feigned shock, making her laugh even louder. “You kind of look like you just came from the bank. As in you’re a banker.”

“You think I’m a banker?” he asked but she shook her head.

“No, you’re not,” she said decisively and sipped her Irish coffee. “You’re not arrogant enough. No… You work with people…” she began. Elrond drank as well, his eyebrows slightly raised while he waited for her to keep guessing. “Lawyer? No, your hands aren’t soft enough… but you help people, I see it in your eyes.” She grabbed one of his hands and felt it. “Your hands are just calloused enough that you work with small tools… I think you’re a doctor,” she deduced. Elrond looked pleasantly surprised.

“I’m a cardiologist,” he confessed. “You’re good. Now embarrassingly enough I’m not a master deducer like you. My only guess, based on that, is that you work with animals?” he guessed. She realised she was still holding his hand as he began to bring it up towards her neckline, using her own finger to touch the wolf around her neck.

“I work in a wildlife preservation center and a wolfdog rescue shelter,” she confirmed.

“Wow! Really? How long have you been doing that?” he asked, letting go of her hand, which remained on her necklace.

“Almost ten years,” she said, dropping her hand. “Started working with dogs right after high school, adopted an abandoned czech wolfdog from that same shelter I work in now. I used to volunteer in a regular dog shelter, but eventually, with my interest in wolves and wolfdogs, I was offered a paid job at the wolfdog shelter. Only been working for three or so years in the wildlife center. We have the world’s oldest wolf there,” she told him excitedly.

“How old?” Elrond asked, seeming genuinely curious.

“Nineteen. Wolves in the wild rarely age over nine because they’re usually killed by a hunter or other animals.” Elrond nodded along, listening closely.

“Do you have more animals of just the one you mentioned?”

“Two. The czech wolfdog, named Sandor and a tamaskan named Arya. Here,” she said, reaching for her phone and finding a picture in her phone. Elrond seemed amazed.

“Wow, they really are wolf-like,” Elrond affirmed.. “Absolutely beautiful.”

“Yeah, they’re brilliant. So how about you, how did you go about becoming a cardiologist? Always had magic healing hands?” she teased flirtatiously. He chuckled, making her warm on the inside.

“I’ve always known I wanted to help others. When I was young it wasn’t so much a question whether I was going to be a doctor, it was more of the question what kind of doctor,” he said with another chuckle. “I have been a surgeon, which is probably where those calluses come from. I cut into people for years and years before I decided I wanted to know more about the human heart.” Alassë nodded slowly, impressed by this fair elf as venerable as a king and as kind as summer. “Can I take you out for a date?” he asked out of nowhere. Alassë smiled.

“No,” she said, surprising the elf.

“No? That’s not the answer I was expecting,” he said truthfully. Her smile grew as she finished her drink.

“No. You’ll have to try harder than that. Besides, I haven’t sized up your competition yet,” she teased, leaning in and giving Elrond a kiss on his cheek before rising from her stool. She left him there with a puzzled look in his eyes and a red lipstick mark on his cheek. “Thank you for the drink, Irish Coffee,” she said before walking towards the dressing room, waving goodnight to Aragorn before disappearing.


	3. Martini

Martini was back in the first row the next Friday, apparently having learned his lesson last week.

_ You keep saying you got something for me _ _   
_ _ Something you call love, but confess _

The emerald green dress snaked itself around Alassë’s body, revealing just the part between her breasts, slightly down her stomach.

_ These boots are made for walkin’ _ _   
_ _ And that’s just what they’ll do _ _   
_ _ One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you _

A grey suit clad Martini today, hugging his firm body closely, and his long hair was flowing free tonight, making Alassë smile. She swayed her hips as she sang, never breaking eye contact with the elf sipping on his usual drink. His steely eyes were almost cutting into her soul, and soon she had to look away, her gaze roaming the crowd, taking in her audience.

_ You keep samin' when you oughta be a-changin' _ _   
_ _ Now what's right is right, but you ain't been right yet _

_ These boots are made for walkin' _

Her eyes finally found Irish Coffee. His kind eyes shone as he watched her, and she danced for him like there was no one else in the room. Before she turned away from him, the kind look had turned hungry and lustful. It sent a fire down to her loins to see how he looked at her, to picture what he could do with her were they truly alone.

_ I just found me a brand new box of matches, yeah _ _   
_ _ And what he knows, you ain't had time to learn _ _   
_ _ These boots are made for walkin' _ _   
_ _ And that's just what they'll do _ _   
_ _ One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you _ _   
_ _ Are you ready boots? Start walkin’! _

__ She smiled as she spun around, dancing and walking through the outro, her eyes flickering through the crowd.

“Thank you, everyone, it’s so good to be back up here, I long for Friday every fuckin’ day!” she exclaimed and laughed as the bar cheered. “I’m taking song suggestions today, go ahead, shout! Whatever song wins I’ll do a jazz cover of!”

“Oops I did it again!” cried one of the very few female elves here.

“Blaze of Glory!” yelled a dwarf.   
“Born to be wild!” a man suggested.   
“Umbrella!”

“Phil Collins!"

“Phil Collins isn’t a song,” Alassë scolded with a laugh.

“In the air tonight,” Martini suddenly said, his voice cutting through all other noise. She stopped in her tracks, she had never heard him speak before and now she never wanted him to be silent.

“One more time?” she asked and held out the mic to him.

“Phil Collins isn’t a song, but  _ In the air tonight _ is,” he said slowly and firmly. Alassë smiled.

“What do you say, boys?” she asked the band. “Can you pull off a jazz cover?” They all nodded and started plucking on their instruments, not taking long to come up with the tunes, the piano beginning the melody.

_ I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord _ _   
_ _ And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord _ _   
_ _ Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord _

Martini looked more pleased than ever as he leaned back, downing his drink and drinking in the girl on stage. His eyes followed her every movement, flicking from her eyes to her body and back again. His tongue darted out to wet his lips.

_ Well, I was there and I saw what you did  
_ _ I saw it with my own two eyes  
_ _ So you can wipe off that grin,  
_ _ I know where you've been  
_ _ It's all been a pack of lies  
_ _ And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord _

Martini grinned as Alassë almost moaned out the lyrics, dragging her hand along her body, up the slit in her dress and up to her face, stroking her neck seductively. The hunger grew in Martini’s face again. Two songs and she had already achieved her goal of the night. She almost shivered from the look she was getting, so of course that’s when she looked away, not facing either of her elves the rest of the song, yet feeling their eyes on her the entire time.

_ I can feel it in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord _ _   
_ _ But I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord, oh Lord _

The set went on, and she danced and sang long into the night. New patrons came in and left, but both elves remained. It was only the third time they both were here, but all the times so far they had stayed at least until Alassë was gone.

“Okay lads and gentlemen,” she announced, earning laughs from the crowd lacking in ladies. “I got one more song for you all tonight. It’s kinda special to me, this one, ‘cause I too have been through a  _ rough  _ breakup. You know what we do to guys who cheat on us?  _ Fuck ‘em!  _ Sing about it,” she said, and the audience clapped. She never shared personal stories about herself unless they involved letting the crowd know how single she was. The band started playing, and the bar instantly knew the song. She closed her eyes.

_ He left no time to regret _ _   
_ _ Kept his dick wet _ _   
_ _ With his same old safe bet _ _   
_ _ Me and my head high _ _   
_ _ And my tears dry _ _   
_ _ Get on without my guy _

Elrond with a fresh Irish coffee in his hand looked almost hypnotised. But there was concern on his face, too. Martini’s face was blank, his eyes closed for the first time, and not until the chorus did he open them.

_ We only said goodbye with words  
_ _ I died a hundred times _ _   
_ _ You go back to her _ _   
_ _ And I go back to... _ _   
_ _ I go back to… _

Alassë took a few steps back, seating herself on the stool on stage. Her hand brushed through her curls as she sang. The memories of the psychopath of an ex she had made her voice stronger, her passion hotter.

_ We only said goodbye with words _ _   
_ _ I died a hundred times _ _   
_ _ You go back to her _ _   
_ _ And I go back to... _ _   
_ _ We only said goodbye with words _ _   
_ _ I died a hundred times _ _   
_ _ You go back to her _ _   
_ _ And I go back to black _

“Thank you so much for coming out tonight, you’ve been great as always, I fuckin’ love you!” she exclaimed into the microphone before putting it back in its stand, blowing kisses to the crowd and walking off stage. As always, she headed straight for the bar and Aragorn.

“I love when you sing Back in black,” he said as he handed her her tips.

“Thanks Ar. What’s this, no drink?” she asked, playing offended.

“Of course, right here,” he said, handing her a martini. She looked down at the glass and then back up at Aragorn.

“This isn’t a ginger toddy,” she stated.

“No. But I was paid a hundred quid not to make your after show special. Courtesy of Mr Martini. Guess my friendship really is for sale,” he joked with a wink. Alassë scoffed but smiled, surprised. “Just be careful, Ally, Irish Coffee is sweeter,” he said cryptically.

“The drink or the man?” she inquired, earning only a meaningful look from Aragorn before he turned away to take another order. Alassë sat down on the stool and took a sip, turning around just in time to see the steely eyes and blond hair of Martini.

“Evening, my fair,” he said as he appeared in front of her. She looked him up and down before smiling.

“Evening,” she responded.

“May I sit?” he asked, sitting down next to her before she could answer.

“What if I had said no?” she asked, looking away and taking another sip.

“You wouldn’t have,” he responded simply. She almost laughed at how arrogant he was. “May I have your name?” 

“No,” she kept teasing. She felt him smile next to her.

“Mine’s Thranduil,” he said instead, changing his tactic. “I’ve heard you’re quite the judge of character. Read palms, do you?” he asked.

“No.”

“No, so last week you simply  _ wanted  _ to hold Elrond’s hand, is that what I’m to believe?” he asked, darkness growing in his voice at the mention of the other elf pursuing the same woman as himself. Alassë smirked.

“You know him, I take it?” she asked.

“Mmm. And he said you got his job right touching only his hand and looking in his eyes.”

“Give me yours,” she said, extending her hand, still not looking at him as she waited. He placed his hand in hers and she touched it, letting her fingers search his for calluses, finding none. She looked down, and then away again as she let go of him.

“Soft hands, no calluses, pedicured nails, skin smoother than a baby’s bottom. Expensive suit, polished shoes. No problems bribing a bartender with a hundred quid to do what you want. Arrogant enough to rob a lady of her after show special drink...” She finally turned to look him in the eye. “You, my friend, work in finance,” she said confidently. Thranduil smiled.

“Yes. I’m a hedge fund manager.”   
“Told ya. My name is Alassë,” she finally gave in and told him.

“Beautiful name for a beautiful girl. What do you do when you’re not enchanting men with your music?” he asked, making her chuckle slightly.

“I work with wolves and abandoned wolfdogs.”

“In a wildlife preservation center and a rescue shelter, if my mind hasn’t failed me.” Suddenly she felt the sweet smell of Irish Coffee. There he stood behind her, Elrond.

“Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt a lady, Elrond?” Thranduil asked, clearly irritated by competition.

“I don’t believe I  _ was  _ interrupting,” Elrond countered. Alassë bit her lip and smiled, watching the two men argue. “I saw a lady in need of rescue, so I came.”

“Always the white knight in shining armour, hmm?” Thranduil drawled.

“There, there, gentlemen, let’s all get along now, there’s plenty for everyone… oh wait… there’s just plenty for me,” Alassë said with a suggestive giggle. Thranduil almost growled.

“So, have you sized up my competition yet?” Elrond asked, reaching out and moving a lock of hair out of Alassë’s face.

“I have.”

“And? Can I have that date now?” he wondered lightly. Alassë stood up and downed her drink, setting it back on the counter.

“No,” she said. Thranduil smiled smugly. Elrond waited patiently. “I haven’t made up my mind yet about who gets to go first. Haven’t seen either of you try hard enough yet,” she teased. “Now if you both don’t mind, I must get home, I’ve got two wolfdogs to walk. See you next week…” she said and started walking.

“What makes you so sure either of us will be back?” Thranduil called after her. She turned around.

“Neither of you used to come here at all, now you both frequent my Fridays and stay longer than any of the other patrons. I’m rather confident you’ll  _ both _ be back. Good night, gentlemen.” She blew a kiss at them before she left.


	4. Burlesque

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey! Forgot to mention in the earlier chapters that there's a spotify playlist with all the songs for this fic. It's called Irish Coffee and Martini, if you wanna check it out. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ubGyPZ7t6nwQnth2W6paW?si=Ecw6ZVtiSQ-nDeJTQIK5Ng

Donned up in pearls, a corseted bodice, high heels, a curly updo on her head and a sharp cat eye liner, Alassë was more confident than ever this night. Before the show she wore a faux fur coat over her burlesque bodice to not reveal herself.

“You look like Dita von Teese,” Aragorn said as she walked up to the bar.

“Thank you!”

“That’s not a compliment,” he retorted.

“You’re the only man in this whole bar who wouldn’t cut off an arm to sleep with her. It’s a compliment.” Aragorn chuckled in response.

“Fine. What do you want?”

“Just a shot of Jack, please.” He poured and served her the glass.

“Another one of those, a martini, and anything the lady wants is on me tonight,” said Thranduil as he appeared out of nowhere. Aragorn raised an eyebrow, but poured a glass of Jack for the blond elf without saying a word, then began mixing up a martini.

“Very generous, one might say, if one didn’t know you were a millionaire,” Alassë teased as she raised her glass. Thranduil raised his and they toasted, downing the shots.

“I never told you I’m a millionaire,” he said, setting his glass down.

“I’ve never met a hedge fund manager who wasn’t,” she retorted with a smile.

“You got me. I have something else for you,” he said, reaching into his inner pocket and pulling out a small black box. He handed it to Alassë who took it gently and opened it, holding back a gasp when she saw what was inside . Ear climbing golden earrings shaped as a flower cascading down her ear like a falling star faced her back. The leaves were diamonds and the flowers themselves were rubies, probably costing a fortune. They must have cost a fortune. She shut the box quickly and pushed it back in his hand.

“I can’t take those,” she said breathily.

“You’re not taking them, they’re a gift, I’m giving them to you,” he insisted and pushed them back. Alassë swallowed.

“They’ll have cost a fortune,” she kept arguing. Thranduil leaned in closer to her.

“If you’re right, and I really am a millionaire, they’ll have cost me nothing,” he corrected her before leaning back. “Next time you wear red on stage, wear them for me and I’ll be happy.”   
She squeezed his hand.

“Thank you, Thranduil,” she said whole heartedly. It was time to get on stage, and just as he received his martini, she smiled at him and left, not noticing the way Aragorn rolled his eyes.

Elrond sat in the first row, and Thranduil took his place a few seats away but also in the first row. They both wanted the best view for tonight’s show. She slipped off the faux fur and hung it on her chair, and as soon as the crowd saw her, the cheering began. Wolf whistles filled the room as she walked on stage, swinging her hips so the pearls of her bodice glittered in the lights.

The band was silent, waiting for her to begin. She grabbed the microphone as she eyes her audience tonight. The bar was packed, even more so than usual.

_ Oooh sometimes, I get a good feeling, yeah… _ _   
_ _ Ooh I get a feeling that I never, never, never, never had before, oh no _ _   
_ _ And I just gotta tell you right now, that I _ _   
_ _ I believe, I really do believe that _

She locked eyes with Elrond.

_ Something’s got a hold of me yeah  
_ _ “Oh, it must be love!”  _ the band backed up  
_ Something’s got a hold of me right now, child _ _   
_ _ “Oh, it must be love!” _

He raised his Irish coffee in a toast to her as she began to dance. She swung her hips and smiled at him while singing her heart out, walking closer to his edge of the stage.

_ Let me tell you now _ _   
_ _ I got a feeling, I feel so strange _ _   
_ _ Everything about me seems to have changed _ _   
_ _ Step by step, I got a brand new walk _ _   
_ _ I even sound sweeter when I talk _

Just as Elrond looked most intrigued, she denied him her attention, instead walking to the other edge of the stage, spinning around and bending over in front of Thranduil, giving him an excellent view of her behind, but only for half a second before she bounced back up.

_ I said, oh, oh, oh, oh _ _   
_ _ I said baby _ _   
_ _ Oh, it must be love  _ _   
_ _ “You know it must be love!” _

He usually didn’t smile at her on stage, rather he gave her hungry or jealous looks. But now he was smiling warmly for the first time, and it stirred something inside her.

_ Let me tell you know _ _   
_ _ My heart feels heavy, my feet feel light _ _   
_ _ I shake all over, but I feel alright _ _   
_ _ I never felt like this before _ _   
_ _ Something’s got a hold on me that won’t let go _

She climbed onto the chair, kicking her feet, wiggling her butt, and the strands of pearls shook delightfully behind her.

_ I said, oh, oh, oh, oh _ _   
_ _ I said baby _ _   
_ _ Oh, it must be love  _ _   
_ _ “You know it must be love!” _

__ She finished up the song while lounging on the chair, throwing her legs up in the air. Thranduil was basically licking the rim of his glass, while Elrond’s hands were restless, opening and closing in desperation. And she hadn’t even gotten to the sexy songs yet.

“Good evening, lads and gentlemen,” Alassë said, shaking her booty making the pearls rassle. Cheers, lots of them, filled up the room. “Welcome to burlesque night, shall we have another song? Step it up a bit? Get a little tougher?” she asked, biting her lip as everyone cheered. She laughed seductively, swinging her hips as she got ready.

_ Ooh, oh yeah yeah _ _   
_ _ Oooh yeah yeah _ _   
_ _ I need a tough lover, yeah yeah yeah _ _   
_ _ I need a, a tough lover, woo _ _   
_ _ I need a, a tough lover, yeah yeah yeah _ _   
_ _ A tough lover, ooh yeah _ _   
_ _ When he kisses me, I get that thrill  
_ _ When he does that wiggle I won't keep still _

And up she was, spinning around, dancing, kicking her legs, showing off those high heels. Down on the floor she squatted, raking her nails over her thighs as she spread her legs mere feet from Elrond’s face.

_ I wanna a tough lover, yeah, yeah _ _   
_ _ A tough lover, woo _ _   
_ _ I need a tough love, yeah, yeah _ _   
_ _ Tough lover! _

She snapped her legs closed, watching Elrond’s mouth close as he seemed to realise it was open. He shifted in his seat, clearly bothered about something under the table. Alassë smirked. One down, one to go. And so she snaked her way across the floor back to Thranduil’s edge, constantly keeping eye contact. She flashed him those bedroom eyes before flipping over to her back, raising her hips above the floor.

_ The seven sisters got nothing on him _ _   
_ _ I'm talking about a lover who's fast as the wind _ _   
_ _ Everyone will talk about how he got me fixed _ _   
_ _ It ain't voodoo, it's just that twist _

__ She flipped back onto her stomach so she could look at him, reaching out her hand in a come hither motion.

_ He will be the greatest lover that ever come to pass _ _   
_ _ Don Juan ain't got the half the chance _ _   
_ _ He’s a tough lover, yeah yeah _

She spun her legs back in front of her and effortlessly got back on her feet, dragging her hand up her body as she went, leaving Thranduil as bothered about whatever it was under the table as Elrond had just been.

_ A tough lover, yeah yeah _ _   
_ _ A tough lover, uh-huh! _

“What’s the matter, gentlemen? You’re all looking a little hot and flustered, shall I ask the bartender to open a few windows?” she joked, earning laughs all around and a scolding chuckle from Aragorn. “Or shall I just sing another song?” she asked.

“YEAH!”

“Dance for us, sweetheart!”

“Take your clothes off!”

“Fuck me!”

“Show us your tits!”

“ _ Next person who shouts something crude will be walking home without balls tonight!”  _ Aragorn shouted, having climbed onto the bar. Alassë smiled and blew him a grateful kiss, which he pretended to catch it and put in his pocket. He jumped back down, and the horny yelling men quieted down.

“Thank you, let’s keep it playful but respectful, shall we?” she asked, smiling at the crowd. There were some grumbles and some apologies. “Alright, let’s go,” she told the band.

_ It’s a cold and crazy world that’s ragin’ outside _ _   
_ _ Well baby me and all my girls are bringin’ on the fire _ _   
_ _ Show a little leg, gotta shimmy your chest _ _   
_ _ It’s a life, it’s a style, it’s a need, it’s Burlesque _

She posed in tune with the music, then started snapping her fingers and tapping her foot.

_ “E-X-P-R-E-S-S, love, sex _ _   
_ _ Ladies no regrets _ _   
_ _ E-X-P-R-E-S-S, love, sex _

_ “Ladies no regrets,”  _ the band sang. Alassë moved her hips from side to side seductively, slowly walking towards Elrond and his new Irish coffee. She dropped down to a squat in front of him, spread her legs again, licked her lips and locked eyes with him while dragging her nails up her thigh.

_ Been holding back for quite some time and finally the moment’s right _ _   
_ _ I love to make the people stare _ _   
_ _ They know I got that certain savoir-faire _ _   
_ _ “Fasten up, can you imagine what would happen if I let you close enough to touch? _ _   
_ _ Step into the fantasy, you’ll never want to leave, baby that's guaranteed… Why?” _ _   
_ _ It’s a passion, an emotion, it’s a fashion, Burlesque. _ _   
_ _ It’ll move you, goin’ through you, so do what I do, Burlesque _ _   
_ _ All ladies confident, flaunt it, boys throw it up if you want it _ _   
_ _ Can you feel me, can you feel it? It’s Burlesque. _

She had gotten back on her feet, now she twirled around, circling her hips before bending over, exposing her butt to him, and she swore she could hear a low satisfied groan from him as he brought his hand up to his face, a crooked finger on his lips. She slid her own hand up the back of her leg, from her heel to her calf up her thigh, then she gave her own butt a slap before rising again and walking away from him. She reached out her hand to Thranduil and coaxed a smile out of him, then she grabbed her stool and set it in front of her, sitting down with her legs spread over it, bending her body forwards, giving him the perfect view of her cleavage.

_ I tease ‘em ’til they’re on the edge _ _   
_ _ They scream and moan for more and more they beg. _ _   
_ _ I know it’s me they come to see _ _   
_ _ My pleasure brings them to their knees _

__ She had him under her spell as she rose from the stool, putting one knee up on it, showing off the curves of her body as she sang.

_ “Fasten up _ _   
_ _ Can you imagine what would happen if I let you close enough to touch? _ _   
_ _ Step into the fantasy _ _   
_ _ You’ll never want to leave, baby that's guaranteed… Why?” _

__ She arched her back, holding the mic above her, pushing her voice as far as she could while Thranduil’s eyes were fixed on her butt and the curve of her back.

_ It’s a passion, an emotion, it’s a fashion, Burlesque _ _   
_ _ It’ll move you, goin’ through you, so do what I do, Burlesque _ _   
_ _ All ladies, confident, flaunt it, boys throw it up if you want it _ _   
_ _ Can you feel me, can you feel it? It’s Burlesque. _

She didn’t look at either of her elves again until she finished the song, instead turning her focus to the dancing, almost entering another world as she got in her bubble. She stayed in that bubble all the rest of the set, pretending to look at the crowd while she really looked just above them. Only during the last song,  _ Show me how you burlesque,  _ did she return to teasing both Martini and Irish coffee relentlessly throughout the whole song.

“Thank you for being amazing as always, and goodnight, you handsome sons of bitches!” she called out while putting her mic back the stand, waving to the crowd as she walked off stage, shaking her arse one more time and laughing at the cheers and whistles. She didn’t even reach the bar before Elrond was in front of her. “Hi,” she said and grinned.

“Good evening. Gods, little one, you took my breath away tonight,” he admitted. She felt herself quiver when he called her  _ little one,  _ but she didn’t let it show.

“That’s very kind of you to say,” she said instead, flipping her hair and flashing him a smile. He held up his hand, revealing a large bouquet of red roses and white hydrangeas. Her smile widened a small giggle escaped her before she could stop it.

“Their beauty pales compared to yours, but regardless, such an artist as you deserves some flowers,” he said and handed the bouquet over.

“Thank you,” she replied and leaned in, giving him a peck on his cheek. He seized the opportunity to put his hand on her waist, which started a fire inside her.

“I don’t suppose it’s enough to earn me a date?” he asked, although knowing the answer.

“Nope,” she said and grinned. His fingers lingered on her waist for a moment longer.

“Can I at least walk you home?” he wondered. She smelled the flowers in her hand before answering.  


“What if there’s an hour long walk to my place?” she teased.

“Nothing would delight me more than getting to spend an hour with you,” Elrond said without hesitation. She smirked.

“You just want to know where I live so you can creep on me, don’t you?” she asked. Before he could deny it, she continued. “I’ve got a friend picking me up. But I’m not unreasonable,” she gave in finally. “Give me your phone.” He took it out quickly, unlocked it and handed it over. She put in her phone number and named herself  _ Little One  _ then gave it back to him.

“You’ll be hearing from me,” he said as he put his phone in his pocket.

“I bet I will,” she quipped, smiled, got her faux fur and walked to the bar.

“So…” Aragorn began when Alassë sat down on a stool. “Will you be having your regular or will you be milking the millionaire?” he asked. Alassë laughed. 

“I’ll be having my regular and putting it on him,” she said.

“Cool. Speaking of, here he comes,” Aragorn announced before disappearing behind the bar to make a ginger toddy.

“Liberal with the kisses tonight, are we?” Thranduil asked and put his cool hand on her arm, squeezing her slightly.

“Liberal with the jealousy tonight, are we?” she shot back but smiled. He sat down next to her and gazed at her intently.

“Perhaps I think my gift was worthy of a kiss as well,” he said, giving her a crooked smile. She leaned in and let her lips linger an inch from his cheek before pulling back, without kissing him.

“Perhaps I kiss whomever I  _ want  _ to kiss, not whoever thinks he deserves it,” she said, taking her drink and tips from Aragorn the second it was done, winking at Thranduil and got up. “Thanks for the drink,” she said and left, leaving the blond Martini drinker frustrated.


	5. Little One

It was Tuesday night. Alassë had gotten home late from the shelter, walked her dogs, and was now finally free for the night. She sat down and pushed play on HBO, sinking into her show. During the second episode, her phone buzzed.

Unknown number:

_ Good evening. What is my little one doing tonight? _

Little One:

_ Evening handsome… wasn’t aware I was yours… yet. _ _   
_ _ I’m lounging on the couch with two lazy wolfdogs on my lap, eating peanut butter cups and having a glass of wine while watching my favourite show. _

She put her glass down briefly and saved his number in her phone, renaming him before returning to the chat.

Irish Coffee:

_ Don’t worry, you’ll be mine soon enough ;) _ _   
_ _ I humbly ask for a picture of the wolfdogs. And what’s your favourite show? Based on their names I’m guessing it’s Game of Thrones? _

She snapped a photo of the two dog heads on her lap and sent it.

Little One:

_ GoT is right! Rewatching it a third time. _

Irish Coffee:

_ Oh that’s too adorable! Both you and the dogs ;) _

Little One:

_ What about you, what’s Mr Irish Coffee up to? _

Irish Coffee:

_ Just finished a shift at the hospital. Stepped in as a surgeon today, they were understaffed. _

Little One:

_ Boy, would I like to see you in scrubs and a Dr’s robe… _

She sent the red kissing lips emoji to really tease.

Irish Coffee:

_ Or maybe out of them ;)  _ _   
_ _ Getting in the car now, Little One, and daddy doesn’t text and drive. _

__ Daddy? She almost fainted on the spot and had to reread the text several times. He had called her Little one and himself daddy. It conjured a firestorm in Alassë’s loins and a blush on her cheeks.

Little One:

_ Drive safe xx _

__ Arya rolled over and yawned, stretching herself out laying her paws on Alassë’s stomach, and that’s how they fell asleep that night.


	6. Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Friday rolled around once more, and Alassë was in the dressing room at the bar. Tonight she was back in a red sequin evening gown with matching shoes, and just as Thranduil had requested, she wore the earrings he had gifted her. She stopped by the bar for a strawberry daiquiri before walking on stage.

“Evening gentlemen, tonight’s a special night, we’re going back to the forties,” she said in a sultry voice. Delighted cheers and whistles came from the crowd. She took a sip of her drink before beginning.

_ The French are glad to die for love _ _   
_ _ They delight in fighting duels _ _   
_ _ But I prefer a man who lives _ _   
_ _ And gives expensive jewels _ _   
_ _ A kiss on the hand may be quite continental _ _   
_ _ But diamonds are a girl's best friend _

Her eyes finally found Thranduil, martini in hand standing by the bar. He looked delighted. She wore his earrings and sang about expensive jewels, this was a win for him. His suit hugged his body as he moved closer to the stage. _   
_ _ A kiss may be grand but it won't pay the rental _ _   
_ _ On your humble flat, or help you at the automat _ _   
_ _ Men grow cold as girls grow old _ _   
_ _ And we all lose our charms in the end _ _   
_ _ But square-cut or pear-shaped _ _   
_ _ These rocks don't lose their shape _ _   
_ _ Diamonds are a girl's best friend _

He looked practically enchanted as he watched her. An expensive new watch sat on his wrist she noticed as he raised his glass to her. She raised hers back and took a sip, swinging her hips to the rhythm of the music.

_ Tiffany's ... Cartier... Black Star, Frost, Gorham _ _   
_ _ Talk to me, Harry, Winston, tell me all about it! _

Elrond walked across the room, she saw. He was heading towards the bar to get a drink, and there he stayed, sitting down on one of the stools. He chatted with Aragorn as the man mixed him a drink. He didn’t seem to care for this song. It was the first time since he had started coming here that he didn’t give Alassë all his attention.

_ And I think affairs that you must keep liaisonic _ _   
_ _ Are better bets if little pets get big baggettes _ _   
_ _ Time rolls on and youth is gone _ _   
_ _ And you can't straighten up when you bend _ _   
_ _ But stiff back or stiff knees _ _   
_ _ You stand straight at Tiffany's _ _   
_ _ Diamonds... Diamonds... _ _   
_ _ \- I don't mean rhinestones - _ _   
_ _ But Diamonds, Are A Girl's Best Friends _

Thranduil clapped his hands harder than any other patron when she finished, and Elrond was the only one who didn’t clap. He was still talking to Aragorn, not even looking her way. It felt like a gut punch.

“This next song is for a very special guy,” she announced cryptically and took another drink. The band began to play, and Alassë smiled.

_ My name is Lolita _ _   
_ _ And I'm not supposed to, play with boys _ _   
_ _ What? _ _   
_ _ While tearing off a game of golf _ _   
_ _ I may make a play for the caddy _ _   
_ _ But when I do, I don't follow through _ _   
_ _ 'Cause my heart belongs to Daddy _

Now Elrond looked her way, an eyebrow raised. She had caught his attention.

_ Yes, my heart belongs to Daddy _ _   
_ _ So I simply couldn't be bad _ _   
_ _ Yes, my heart belongs to Daddy _ _   
_ _ Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, dad _

Elrond smiled, and so did Thranduil. He, of course, didn’t know what Elrond had called himself over text, he didn’t even know Elrond had his songbird’s number. They both enjoyed the rest of the song, watching her from different parts of the room. She hadn’t noticed until now that Thranduil wasn’t alone. Two other male elves sat by his side, similar suits and expensive watches. Colleagues, she supposed. Her show went on, with similar songs from Marilyn Monroe and other songs from the forties. In the end she thanked the crowd for coming out, and blew them kisses as she walked off stage towards the bar. Elrond wasn’t there anymore, and she didn’t see him anywhere.

“I miss Rock night,” Aragorn said when she reached him, and he placed a ginger toddy in front of her.

“You’re negative lately,” she said and drank.

“This wasn’t my favourite,” he stated simply.

“Aren’t you lucky she’s not singing for you?” came Thranduil’s voice. Aragorn gave him his best bitch face and left to serve someone else before Thranduil could order.

“Sorry about him,” Alassë said with a smile.

“This was definitely  _ my  _ favourite,” he praised, allowing himself to sit down next to her.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Did I do the earrings justice?” she asked. Thranduil reached out and touched them, sliding his fingers down her neck sending shivers through her.

“Certainly,” he assured her. “I have another best friend for you.” He pulled out a box bigger than last week and opened it in front of her. Her eyes went wide. A diamond necklace, curving between the collarbones.

“No,” she gasped. “Even for you, this is extr-”   
“Don’t argue, just take it. And wear it, for me,” he said, taking her hand and putting the box in it.

“I don’t even know what to say,” she breathed.

“Thank you?” he suggested.   
“Y-yes, thank you! This is… this is probably more expensive than anything I own…”   
“Get used to it,” Thranduil said with a smug smirk, reaching forwards to run his finger down her cheek. She was so taken aback she barely realised he was leaning in closer to her. His hand cupped her cheek and his lips were inches to hers. She began to tremble as she realised what was about to happen.

“Can I get you something,  _ Sir? _ ” Aragorn asked loudly and slammed his hands down on the bar desk between them. Alassë almost jumped out of her seat and they pulled apart. Thranduil composed himself and stared Aragorn down.

“No thank you. I have to get going,” he said, standing up. Aragorn remained with his hands planted firmly on the desk and his eyes staring daggers into Thranduil. “I’ll see you next week, my dear,” he said to Alassë, gave her a quick kiss in her hair before disappearing with his colleagues.

“What the hell was that?” she snapped at Aragorn, who finally relaxed and shook his head.

“You’re making a mistake with him,” he said angrily. “He’s not a good man. All the diamonds in the world won’t change that. The other one, Irish Coffee, is though.”   
“He’s not even here!” Alassë argued.

“Because he didn’t like your fake fucking show,” Aragorn shot back as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Wh-”   
“Do you know what he said to me when you sang? He said ‘this isn’t her’. This isn’t her giving a show, this is her acting. He likes your performances because  _ you  _ shine through in them, and he’s right, you weren’t you tonight,” Aragorn whisper-screamed almost desperately.

“What do you know about anything?” Alassë growled and downed her drink, getting out of her seat and stomping away.

“I know you, and you’re not yourself with him!” he shouted after her.


	7. Surprise visit

Arya and Sandor were with her at the shelter. They were running wild in the large dog yard playing with three other wolfdogs. Alassë just got back from the vet with a saarloos wolfhound they called Fred. He was a bit of a loner, didn’t play that well with other dogs, and retreated to his favourite corner as soon as they came back.

“How did it go?” Suzie asked. she was a woman in her fifties with red hair who ran the shelter, and she was the sweetest woman Alassë knew, but a real alpha as well.

“Well he never likes getting shots, but it went alright. He didn’t bite anyone,” she said, grabbing a cup of coffee and dusting some dog hair off her jeans.

“That’s good at least. I was cleaning the crates when my back spasmed up, would you mind?” she asked, rubbing her lower back. She had struggled with back pain for a few years now.

“No problem,” Alassë said and set to work outside the shelter. Half the crates were done, so she went for the other half. Every now and then the wolfdogs came running towards the fence, jumping to see what she was doing.

“This is a different view,” a cool voice came suddenly. Her head shot up from where she was sitting on the ground scrubbing. Thranduil stood tall on the other end of a crate.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Came to surprise you,” he said simply, holding out a bouquet of lilies. She stood up and crossed her arms.

“How did you find me?” she demanded, brows furrowed.

“There aren’t that many wolfdog shelters around here, dear,” he explained.

“How did you know I would be here today?”   
“I didn’t, I took a chance.” He held out the flowers again, urging her to take them. His grey suit brought out his eyes and she couldn’t deny he looked perfect. She sighed, dusted off her hands and took the flowers.

“Thanks. But you can’t just come by my work like this!” she insisted.

“Why not?” he inquired curiously.

“Because, it’s not… appropriate!” she argued. Thranduil shrugged.

“You’re not wearing the necklace,” he noticed. Alassë scoffed.

“No, I’m not wearing an expensive diamond necklace in a wolfdog shelter where it can get ruined if one dog gets scared or excited and decides to jump on me,” she explained, walking over to the tap to rinse off the sponge. Thranduil’s look was a curious one. Then he noticed four wolfdogs looking at him through the fence.

“So, what breeds are those? And what breed do you have?” he asked as he observed them.

“Tamaskan, czech wolfdog, czech wolfdog, saarloos wolfhound. The two on the left are mine. Sandor and Arya. The other two are Luna and Fred.”

“How does a tiny little woman like you walk big dogs like that?” he asked with a smile.

“Leash around my waist rather than in my hand,” she explained, going back to cleaning crates.

“When do you get off?” he asked, looking at the time on his fancy watch.

“Whenever I want,” Alassë said with a smirk. Thranduil chuckled.

“That I could have guessed. Alright, what time you get off work?” he clarified.

“Six pm.”   


“May I take you out for dinner?” Before she could answer, a sudden fight broke out between Fred and Sandor. 

“Maybe some other time!” Alassë exclaimed and ran inside to break up the two of them.

Sandor listened to her when she yelled out his name, but Fred lounged again, and Alassë had to physically intervene, getting between the two dogs. Suzie came running not a second later. Sandor spun in circles looking ashamed while Fred growled.

“Stop it, you,” Alassë told him while holding him off. Suzie urged Sandor into the house and shut the door before coming out to help with Fred. When they finally got him to calm down, they decided to keep him separated from the other male dogs for a while. “We have to get him neutered, Suz, this aggression is the reason he came to us in the first place” she muttered.

“Yes, you’re right. I’ll make an appointment for him.”   


“Good.”

Thranduil was gone when Alassë returned out to finish up with the crates. 

It was just on her way in that she noticed the bouquet on one of the crates, smiling and picking it up, taking it with her inside. They smelled delightful and she couldn’t hide her grin as she walked into the room with the water bucket in one hand and flowers in the other.

“Darlin’, who’s the mystery man?” Suzie asked as soon as she came back inside. Alassë put the flowers in a cup of water and looked at her colleague.

“Remember I told you about the two elves on my Fridays at Green Dragon?” she asked coyly.

“Oooh that’s Martini!?” Suzie asked eagerly. Alassë nodded. “He’s bloody gorgeous, have you jumped him yet?” 

“Suz!” she scolded.

“Oh come on, what’ve you got to lose? He’s a stud! And he surprises you at work with flowers!? If I had a man who did that I’d jump him at work!” she burst out, making Alassë laugh. 

Finally, she noticed there was a card in the bouquet and picked it up and read it out loud.

“I won’t stop until you’re mine. Here’s my number, call me when you want to go to Tiffany’s. Or just watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” She laughed at the note.

“A man who will buy you jewelry is a man to jump,” Suzie kept insisting as a Malamute came in, rubbing his head on her legs.

“He already bought me a pair of earrings  _ and  _ a diamond necklace!” Alassë admitted.

“Then what on earth are you waiting for!?” Suzie burst out, making Alassë laugh. Maybe she should listen to her friend and colleague. “It’s about time you start trusting a man again, love.”


	8. Yacht

_ Thanks for the lilies. I don’t need anything from Tiffany’s, but there’s a growing need in me for you…  _ She pressed send as she laid on her bed with Arya next to her and a peanut butter cup in her hand. She saved Thranduil’s number in her phone as Martini. It wasn’t long before his reply.

Martini:   
_ I knew you’d come to your senses. How’s tomorrow? _

Songbird:   
_ Working til 2pm. _

Martini:   
_ Meet me at the Grey Haven docks at 3. Wear the necklace and wear something pretty. _

“Cocky little shit…” Alassë muttered but smiled and scratched Arya behind her ear. Of course she went instantly for her wardrobe, deciding what to wear. Meeting him at the docks meant he had a boat. “What do I wear on a boat?” she pondered. Sandor cocked his head looking at her without understanding. Thranduil seemed to like her in vintage dresses, so eventually she settled on a nautical vintage dress.

Suzie was pestering her all day about the date, fantasising about what type of boat this man had, about the dirty sex they’d have. Suzie had never been shy to speak her mind, and so Alassë wasn’t even surprised when she laid out the kinky imagery.

“I don’t give it up on the first date,” Alassë said.

“You will for him!” Suzie insisted.

Suzie swore to take care of Sandor and Arya for the night on the condition that Alassë at least “considered fucking the rich handsome stud”. She had agreed, and now after getting ready in the small bathroom of the dog shelter, she was driving towards the docks. She parked her old Volkswagen next to the Porsches and Teslas already parked there. The first thing she saw was a black Tesla coming towards the parking lot. It had a custom license plate.  _ Thranduil. _

“Of course he’s got a fuckin’ Tesla,” she mused to herself. She clutched her purse as she waited for him to park and walk up to her. He wasn’t wearing a suit today, it was too warm, but the slacks and white pressed shirt were enough to make Alassë’s mouth water. He offered her a cone of exclusive chocolates as soon as he was in front of her.

“Good afternoon, my dear. You look fantastic,” he said, wrapping her in a hug. She giggled and hugged him back, twirling around to show off the flare of the dress. “Mmm, exquisite.”

“You don’t look too shabby yourself.”

“Shall we go?” he asked, offering his arm. She took it gladly and walked with him onto one the docks. There were boats everywhere, small boats, large boats and even a few yachts. “That one’s mine,” he said and pointed. She stopped. For a second she was surprised, but then she rolled her eyes.

“Of course you have a fucking yacht, I should’ve known,” she said, clinging a little harder to his arm.

“You really should have, yes,” he quipped, pulling her close as they walked, onto the huge boat. He had staff, too, one welcoming them on board, one serving them a cold glass of champagne.

“Careful, I could get used to this,” Alassë said as he led her up towards - one of the multiple - decks. He raised his glass.

“I hope you do, because I already am,” he replied. They toasted and drank.

Alassë rejoiced as the yacht left the docks, and they were out on the open water. She stood with her hands on the railing, looking out over the sea. Thranduil who had been inside speaking with the staff, came back out. His hands landed on her waist, and slowly he came closer to her until his chest was pressed up against her back, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“You are exquisite,” he whispered in her ear, stealing a kiss on her neck. She smiled coyly, sipping on her second glass of champagne. “Tell me more about yourself, my little songbird,” he murmured with his lips still against her neck. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment.

“What do you want to know?” she asked softly.

“What do you do when you’re all alone? What was the last book you read? What do you love, what do you hate?” he asked, dragging the tip of his nose up her neck. She had to compose herself so she wouldn’t moan at his actions.

“I-I’m never alone, I always have my dogs. I love taking them on forest walks. I love sitting in the woods by a pond I know of, and watch them play. Last book…  _ And then there were none  _ by Agatha Christie. Love… wolves, dogs, chocolate, singing and Game of Thrones. Hate… coriander. Men who don’t like animals. What about you?”

“When I’m not investing in companies, I enjoy going out on the sea. I hunt, I golf-” Alassë couldn’t help laughing. “What?” Thranduil asked.

“Of course you golf. If there’s one thing that unites rich guys, it’s golfing,” she said and laughed again.

“True,” he admitted, rubbing her hips gently. “I last read  _ A Random Walk down Wall Street.  _ I love the ocean, that’s how I relax. I hate peanut butter and socialists,” he said, causing Alassë to break out in the most unladylike laughter. “Tell me one of your guilty pleasures.”

“Oh then you’ll hate this one! Peanut butter cups,” she said almost proudly. “I can cram like three packs in a night,” she admitted.

“It doesn’t show,” he said and wrapped his arms tighter around her. She chuckled.

“What about you?”   
“You,” he said simply. She turned around in his arms so she was facing him.

“How am I your guilty pleasure?” she wondered.

“My colleagues and I used to discover a new bar each weekend. After I heard you sing, they’ve been discovering new bars without me. There’s nowhere I’d rather be on a Friday night.” Alassë blushed, and it was then that Thranduil seized the moment, cupping her cheek and kissing her. She let out a tiny noise of surprise, but put her free hand on his chest and ran it up to his shoulder, pulling him as close as she physically could. He took the glass from her and set it away, and instantly her other hand was on his neck, tangling itself into his hair as he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue in between her slightly parted lips.

One of his hands wandered down her side, squeezing her hip before grabbing one of her thighs and wrapping it around his waist. She moaned into the kiss when he dug his nails into her skin, and she bit down on his lip playfully, making him hiss and pull away slightly.

“You’re a naughty girl, are you?” he asked darkly, attacking her mouth again before she could answer. He picked her up effortlessly and walked them inside, and into one of the cabins, shutting the door behind them. 

In a heartbeat she found herself on her back in the luxurious bed. Thranduil began unbuttoning his shirt, and Alassë sat back, biting her lip as she enjoyed the view. He threw the shirt aside and slowly staggered up to her on the bed. His chest was firm and strong.

“Come and take me if you can,” she teased, and saw the flicker in his eyes as he climbed on top of her, putting one leg on each side of her, trapping her beneath him.

“Oh songbird, I can and I will,” he said, leaning down to bite her ear, her neck, her shoulder. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them down above her head. Heat spread through her whole body. “Take your dress off,” he whispered in her ear, leaning back to give her space to do so. Using her high heel, she pushed him backwards even more and stood up. She headed over to the speaker she noticed, plugged in her phone and put on one of her playlists.  _ Waiting Game  _ by BANKS started playing.

Slowly, she began to undress, undoing one button at a time on her dress, then the zipper. Swaying her hips to the music she slowly pulled the dress off, revealing her red lace bra and matching panties. Thranduil let out a groan at just the sight of her. He pulled her back into bed and flipped over again. Clearly he was the dominant one, and he showed it. Pinning her down again, he scattered kisses down her chest, her breasts, down her stomach. There, he lingered.

“Ancient Elvish…” he murmured, taking one hand to run his finger over the tattoo on her ribs

“Gaw- at i ithil. Howl at the moon,” Alassë whispered. 

“Beautiful,” he murmured, planting a kiss on the tattoo before continuing his journey down her body, dragging his hand over her panties, feeling her already wet. A dark chuckle came from him. Then, his touchwas inside, his finger on her clit instantly, and his face echoed hers when she let out a loud moan. It didn’t take long before his finger found her entrance, slipping inside effortlessly. “Mmm, so tight…” he whispered, tightening his grip on her wrists when she attempted to move them. She giggled.

“It’ll feel even tighter around your cock,” she said.

“Oh you’re bad… a bad, bad little girl,” he cooed, curving his fingers inside her hitting that sweet spot, making her cry out in pleasure once more before he pulled them out, tasting her off of himself. “You taste almost as delectable as you look in nothing but heels, red lingerie and that necklace…” he praised with a smirk.

“Fuck me before I lose my mind,” she pactically begged. He kissed her lips before getting up, opening a drawer and retrieving a condom. “Take off those trousers and let me see you,” she moaned. He obliged, undoing his slacks, discarding them, and finally taking off the boxers too. Alassë bit her lip and smiled, spreading her legs subconsciously. Thranduil got back on the bed, practically  _ ripped  _ her panties off and growled.

“This is what I’ve waited for since the first time I laid eyes on you,” he whispered in her ear as he rolled the condom on.

“Less talking, more fucking me like there’s no tomorrow,” she growled back in frustration. He chuckled darkly and aligned his big cock with her soaking wet pussy, pushing himself into her slowly, taking his time, stretching her out. Alassë grasped his biceps, using them as leverage as he pulled back and slammed back in, lifting one of her thighs up over his hip so he reached deeper. His deep groans of satisfaction were enough to drive her crazy. She bit down on his pointy ear, moaning and gasping as he started pounding her harder and harder.

Then he pulled out, and before she could complain, he flipped her over onto her belly and entered her from behind, causing her to cry out even louder. He unclasped her bra with ease, throwing it away as he snaked a hand down to her chest, palming at her breast as he thrust into her again and again, reaching that sweet spot.

“Fuck, yes, gods yes, right there,” she whimpered.

“Mmm, good girl, tell me how good it feels,” he growled into her ear, biting her neck again.

“So goddamn good, so fucking good,  _ Thranduil _ ,”she moaned and began writhing under him. He grabbed her wrists again and pinned them down.

”You’re staying right here, songbird,” he whispered. She moaned and gasped and whimpered, the pressure building inside her. She pushed her butt back against him, losing any sense of her vocabulary as the heat pent up in her loins.

“Gods… fuck- hnnngh.. Gonna-!” she whined.

“Do it, cum for me, baby,” Thranduil growled and picked up the pace even more, driving her down into the mattress. Finally she burst, cumming hard, crying out his name over and over, her fingers spasming uncontrollably as she rode the waves of intense pleasure. Thranduil let out something between a groan and a chuckle as he too was getting close. His hands grew even tighter around her wrists and he pounded into her one, two, three more times before the deepest, most guttural growl left him, and his hips stilled. She giggled as he breathed his way through the climax, placing lazy kisses on her neck, before finally pulling out. She rolled over onto her back, stretching out her legs, and he got up discarding the condom.

“That was amazing,” she panted. Thranduil nodded.

“Yes, you were,” he said, dropping back down into the bed with her.


	9. Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby

Alassë was back home and life was back to normal after the adventure on Thranduil’s yacht. The next day she worked at the wildlife center, and after work drove by the dog shelter to pick up her dogs and gossip to Suzie, who was delighted at every detail. Then she took her dogs for a long walk in the forest, ordered takeout on her way home and sat herself on the couch, exhausted. The dogs were tired too and quickly fell asleep on the cushions, next to her. She flicked through Netflix lazily and settled for binge watching Friends when, around nine o’clock, her phone buzzed.

Irish Coffee:  
_ Hello Little One. You doing okay tonight? _

She smiled at his message.

Little One:   
_ Doing good, having another lazy night with the dogs. You? _

Irish Coffee:   
_ Rough night at the hospital. First break all day now. You never really get used to having patients die on you. _

Her smile fell.

Little One:  
_ I’m so sorry... Are you holding up alright? Anything I can do? _

Irish Coffee:  
_ You don’t happen to have a recording of you singing? I find your voice so soothing. _

__ She couldn’t help smiling again. That was so sweet. She rummaged through the videos she had in her ‘songs’ album and settled on sending him the clip of her sitting in front of a mirror singing  _ Shallow  _ by Lady Gaga.

Little One:  
_ Of course. Here you go ♡ _

It took ten minutes before he replied.

Irish Coffee:  
_ Utter perfection. So clean and beautiful even with no instruments. Thank you darling, I feel better already. _

Little One:  
_ Glad I could help. Got many hours left on your shift? You coming to the bar tomorrow or are you working night all week? It’s Rock night _

Irish Coffee:  
_ Two hours left. Yes I’m coming tomorrow.  _

Little One:  
_ What’s your favourite song of all time? Name it and I’ll sing it _

It took two and a half hours before he replied, and Alassë was already sleeping deeply in her bed by then.

Irish Coffee:  
_ Nothing’s gonna hurt you baby by Cigarettes After Sex. _

Friday came once more, and it was Rock night at the bar again. Alassë wore a pair of leather trousers with lace up details on the sides and a silky emerald green top. Aragorn was wearing his leather jacket while pouring whisky shots, and she walked up to him.

“Shoot me one of those, will ya?” she asked. Without speaking he sent a shot down the bar desk to her. “Oh come on, you’re not still angry with me?” she asked, downing the shot.

“Not angry, disappointed,” he said with a shrug.

“Okay,  _ dad,”  _ Alassë mocked him. He came over to her and looked at her seriously.

“I just want what’s best for you. You don’t have the best track record with men. I don’t want to see you throwing yourself down into the same pit I had to  _ drag  _ you out of last time. That’s all,” he said, putting another shot in front of her. She sighed before downing it.

“I get it,” she replied, squeezing his hand before getting up and taking the stage. Cheers filled the room.

“Evening lads and gentlemen! Hope we’re all doing great tonight. I know I usually open with an AC/DC song, but tonight I’ve gotten a special request… We’ll open slow tonight,” she announced, finding Elrond by a round table and giving him a smile. Aragorn’s facial expressions turned from shock to anger to relief as he saw who she smiled at. The band began to play, the bass filling the room first.

_ Whispered something in your ear _ _   
_ _ It was a perverted thing to say _ _   
_ _ But I said it anyway _ _   
_ _ Made you smile and look away _

Elrond who couldn’t help himself, had set his phone on the table to record.

_ Nothing's gonna hurt you baby _ _   
_ _ As long as you're with me you'll be just fine _ _   
_ _ Nothing's gonna hurt you baby _ _   
_ _ Nothing's gonna take you from my side _

She closed her eyes and let the lyrics flow from her, only moving slowly to the rhythm.

_ When we dance in my living room _ _   
_ _ To that silly 90's R&B _ _   
_ _ When we have a drink or three _ _   
_ _ Always ends in a hazy shower scene _ _   
_ _ Nothing's gonna hurt you baby _ _   
_ _ As long as you're with me you'll be just fine _ _   
_ _ Nothing's gonna hurt you baby _ _   
_ _ Nothing's gonna take you from my side _

Elrond’s eyes were glassy and filled with emotion as Alassë sang. She thought it was a beautiful sight, and the rest of the room faded away into the distance.

_ When we laugh into the microphone and singing _ _   
_ _ With our sunglasses on to our favorite songs _ _   
_ _ When we're laughing in the microphone and singing _ _   
_ _ With our sunglasses on to our favorite songs _ _   
_ _ Nothing's gonna hurt you baby _ _   
_ _ Nothing's gonna take you from my side _

Slow claps filled the room, and Elrond smiled widely, mouthing a ‘thank you’ as she smiled back at him.

“Okay guys, I hope you enjoyed that. I’m not gonna rob you of AC/DC, I swear, Aragorn would kill me!” she said, pointing to the bartender who raised the whisky bottle in agreement, mouthing ‘I would!’ And so the band began to play, and the room awakened from the slow trance she had brought them into. Headbanging and metal signs showed instantly among the rock loving dwarves.

_ She was a fast machine she kept her motor clean _ _   
_ _ She was the best damn woman that I ever seen _ _   
_ _ She had the sightless eyes telling me no lies _ _   
_ _ Knocking me out with those American thighs _

She kicked her leg, setting it up on the speaker and showing off the open leg slits of her trousers. 

_ Taking more than her share, had me fighting for air _ _   
_ _ She told me to come but I was already there _ _   
_ _ Cause the walls start shaking, the earth was quaking _ _   
_ _ My mind was aching, and we were making it _ _   
_ _ And you shook me all night long _ _   
_ _ Yeah you shook me all night long _

__ She found Thranduil and a colleague in the midst of the crowd. To her surprise, he was nodding his head in tune with the music. Apparently rock was growing on him. He looked delicious in the leather coat he had worn last Rock night as well. Alassë grinned, sticking her tongue out between her teeth during the guitar solo, earning whistles and cheers. She set her leg up on the speaker again and played air guitar with her fingers pretending to pluck the strings right between her legs, and the whistles and cheers grew even louder.

_ Yeah, yeah, you shook me all night long _ _   
_ _ You really got me and you _ _   
_ _ Shook me all night long _ _   
_ _ Yeah you shook me _ _   
_ _ Yeah you shook me _ _   
_ _ All night long _

The grin on her face was huge when she finished, raising her hands in the air returning the metal signs she was getting. Elrond looked pleasantly surprised at actually enjoying the song.

“Now here’s a song about something I am not,” Alassë said, popping the t and smiling. “I dunno about you guys but I prefer Mötley Crüe over Madonna.” The band began playing. 

_ I made it through the wilderness _ _   
_ _ Somehow I made it through _ _   
_ _ Didn't know how lost I was _ _   
_ _ Until I found you _

She reached out and let her finger land on someone random in the crowd. Both Elrond and Thranduil looked disappointed.

_ I was beat, incomplete _ _   
_ _ I'd been had, I was sad and blue _ _   
_ _ Oh, your love thawed out _ _   
_ _ Yeah, your love thawed out _ _   
_ _ What was scared and cold _

__ She ground her hips and dug her nails into her thighs, giving Thranduil a look of pure sex.

_ Like a virgin _ _   
_ _ Touched for the very first time _ _   
_ _ Like a virgin _ _   
_ _ When your heart beats _ _   
_ _ Next to mine _

He smiled smugly after the chorus, sipping his martini and looking utterly pleased with himself. But he shouldn’t have looked so cocky because right after, she turned her attention to Elrond.

_ Gonna give you all my love, boy _ _   
_ _ My fear is fading fast _ _   
_ _ Been saving it all for you _ _   
_ _ 'Cause only love can last _ _   
_ _ You're so fine and you're mine _ _   
_ _ Make me strong, yeah, you make me bold _ _   
_ _ Oh, your love thawed out _ _   
_ _ Yeah, your love thawed out _ _   
_ _ What was scared and cold _ _   
_ _ Like a virgin _ _   
_ _ Touched for the very first time _ _   
_ _ Like a virgin _ _   
_ _ When your heart beats _ _   
_ _ Next to mine _

Now it was Elrond who smiled, and his sweet smile remained on his face throughout the rest of the song as she powered through it.

“How about some grunge?” she asked after the song, feeling that this night was going to strain her vocal chords. “Hey Aragorn, can we get a whiskey up here?” she asked into the mic, earning claps from the crowd. Aragorn poured, then sent the shot up to the stage through a hobbit who almost spilled it as he slipped on Thranduil’s colleague’s bag. “Thank you,” Alassë said and downed the shot immediately. “So grunge, huh… it smells weird in here, don’t you think? Smells like some kind of spirit… smells like teen spirit,” she said, smiling out at the crowd who began to cheer and jump.

_ Load up on guns, bring your friends _ _   
_ _ It's fun to lose and to pretend _ _   
_ _ She's over bored and self assured _ _   
_ _ Oh no, I know a dirty word _ _   
_ _ Hello, hello, hello, how low? _

__ The dwarves and men began to sing along, knowing and loving this part of the song. Alassë smiled as she sang with them, extending the mic so they were heard better, and when the chorus truly started, she began to jump and headbang, flipping her hair and grinding her hips.

_ With the lights out, it's less dangerous _ _   
_ _ Here we are now, entertain us _

_ I feel stupid and contagious _ _   
_ _ Here we are now, entertain us _ _   
_ _ A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido _ _   
_ _ Yeah, hey, yay _

The whiskey made her voice perfectly dark and raspy for the song, and she licked her lips, tasting the remains of Jack Daniels. She tangled her hand in her air as she moaned out the words to the song, once again giving both her elves seductive looks, until the chorus where she went wild, dancing her arse off.

_ Hello, hello, hello how low? _ _   
_ _ Hello, hello, hello! _ _   
_ _ With the lights out, it's less dangerous _ _   
_ _ Here we are now, entertain us _ _   
_ _ I feel stupid and contagious _ _   
_ _ Here we are now, entertain us _ _   
_ _ A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido _ _   
_ _ Yeah, hey, yay _

The night went on, and she sang more Nirvana songs,  _ Come As You Are  _ and  _ Lithium _ . Then she showed off to Ozzy Osbourne’s  _ Crazy Train  _ and  _ Mama, I’m Coming Home.  _ Finally, she closed with Bruce Springsteen’s  _ I’m On Fire. _

_ Hey, little girl, is your daddy home? _ _   
_ _ Did he go away and leave you all alone? _ _   
_ _ I got a bad desire _ _   
_ _ Oh, oh, oh _ _   
_ _ I'm on fire _

She smirked at Elrond when she sang ‘daddy’, and he smiled warmly, but in his eyes there was mischief, she could see it, and she liked it. He wasn’t as innocent as one could be forgiven for thinking.

_ Tell me now, baby, is he good to you? _ _   
_ _ And can he do to you the things that I do? _ _   
_ _ Oh no, I can take you higher _ _   
_ _ Oh, oh, oh _ _   
_ _ I'm on fire _

__ Her eyes moved on to Thranduil, who was watching her intently. Both he and his colleague seemed to be eye-fucking her. Thranduil she could eye-fuck back, but his colleague was making her uncomfortable, so she looked back to Elrond instead and therefore didn’t notice Thranduil shoving his colleague in the gut with his elbow.

_ Sometimes it's like someone took a knife, baby, edgy and dull _ _   
_ _ And cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my skull _ _   
_ _ At night, I wake up with the sheets soakin' wet _ _   
_ _ And a freight train runnin' through the middle of my head _ _   
_ _ Only you can cool my desire _ _   
_ _ Oh, oh, oh _ _   
_ _ I'm on fire _ _   
_ _ Oh, oh, oh _ _   
_ _ I'm on fire _ _   
_ _ Oh, oh, oh _ _   
_ _ I'm on fire _

“Thank you all for coming out,” she announced, putting the mic back in its stand, blowing kisses, bowing and curtsying before jumping off the stage, stumbling slightly, yet she set her intention on the bar and ordered another whisky from Aragorn.

“I missed this,” he said as he poured one for her and one for himself. They toasted and downed their shots. Then came her ginger toddy which she needed now more than ever, and her wad of tips.

“So did I,” she replied.

“You were great, you shone tonight.” He gave her a meaning look and she nodded, understanding what his point was. “Fans incoming,” he said quickly. Elrond was faster than Thranduil. Alassë laughed and spoke quietly to Aragorn.

“I love watching them compete,” she admitted when Thranduil made an angry face and returned to his colleague. Aragorn chuckled and shook his head, leaving as Elrond approached.

“I can’t believe I enjoy rock music now,” Elrond said as he sat himself down next to her.

“Yesss, score!” Alassë exclaimed and laughed. “How are you feeling today, better?” she asked, putting a hand on his knee.

“Much. You helped,” he said honestly and put his hand on top of hers, squeezing it slightly.

“Glad to. Can I get you anything to drink?”   
“I’m fi-”   
“Sexy girl like you be getting plowed in the bathroom right now, come with me baby!” a visibly drunk man yelled, appearing behind her. She spun around in her stool and gave him a weird face.

“Excuse me?”

“That’s no way to speak to a lady,” Elrond practically growled.

“Oh come on,” the man spat, about to reach out and touch her when Alassë grabbed his wrist, twisted it, kicked him in the balls and with her other hand slammed his head against the bar desk, knocking him out cold. Then she sat back down and took a sip of her drink as if nothing had happened. Elrond stared at her.

“I see now that I wasn’t needed,” he said.

“Nope. But nonetheless I’m grateful that you  _ would  _ come to my defense.”   
“Who taught you to do that?” he asked. She nodded towards Aragorn who didn’t even look surprised.

“He did. That’s why guys don’t hit on me creepily here, because they know I’ll hurt them. This one must be new.” Elrond only laughed.

“Gods, you are amazing,” he stated, looking at her fondly. She finished her drink and smiled at him.

“I have to get going. Would you like to walk me home?” she asked, running her hand through her hair. “I’ve perhaps had one drink too many tonight…”

“I’d be happy to.”   
“Aragorn, I’m off, I’ll see you next week,” she said and was tossed her leather jacket which he had kept for her under the bar.

“Night Ally. Night… Irish Coffee. Sorry, I forgot your real name!” he apologised and waved at Elrond, who helped Alassë with her jacket like the true gentleman he was. They left together, to Aragorn’s great satisfaction and Thranduil’s great annoyance. Elrond offered Alassë his arm, and she took it gladly as they walked.

“Thank you for singing that song,” he said.

“Oh it was my pleasure.”   
“I heard Thranduil took you on his yacht this week,” he continued. She knotted her brows together.

“One thing I’m not quite clear on… how well do you know each other?” she asked.

“Not all that well actually. We have mutual friends. But he likes to brag,” Elrond explained and Alassë chuckled.

“I’m realising that. How much did he tell you?”

“To answer what you’re  _ really  _ asking, yes he told me you had sex.”   
“Are you angry?” she asked, feeling a pang of guilt in her belly.

“Should I be?” he asked back, then shook his head. “I don’t have any expectations of you. We’re not a couple, we’re not dating. You do what you want, I’ve understood that. And I’m still here, aren’t I? But I won’t wait forever. It’s a competition, that much I’ve gathered,” he added with a secretive smile.

“Are you competing?” She let out a giggle.

“Hard to compete with a yacht, really!” he exclaimed, throwing one arm out on his side with a laugh. Alassë stopped, putting herself in front of him and her hands on his chest.

“Please don’t- please don’t feel like you have to compete with him on that part, okay? Don’t like… don’t buy me expensive things just because he does, that’s not even… that’s not even me…” she tried to explain.

“First of all I think you’re underestimating how much money a cardiologist makes. I’d buy you fancy things if I thought that’s what you wanted. But I don’t think it is. I think I have something in my pocket that’ll win you over much easier than diamonds and a yacht,” he said and and took out a little box from chest pocket of his brown suit jacket. He opened it and held it out to her and this time she was actually speechless.

“It’s… it’s amazing,” she managed to breathe out.

“It’s not even silver. It cost me five pounds. I made it,” he said.  
  
“You… made it?” she asked weakly, picking up the iron ring and looking at the two wolf heads closely.

“Mhm. Thought they could represent Sandor and Arya.” Alassë’s eyes watered and she threw herself on him, kissing him right on the lips, hard and passionate, wrapping her arms around his neck. He let out a noise of surprise but quickly found himself, wrapping his arms around her tightly. His lips were warm and inviting, and she kept kissing him until she was out of breath. She put the ring on her middle finger where it fit perfectly and she wiped her eyes.

“Thank you,” she managed to whimper. Elrond chuckled, arms still around her. He moved a lock of her hair behind her ears and leaned to kiss her again, softly this time.

“You’re welcome,” he whispered in her ear before taking her hand. They kept walking for just a few more minutes before she stopped again.

“This is me,” she said, gesturing towards one of the row houses. Elrond looked at the time.

“This wasn’t even a ten minute walk,” he stated, perplexed.

“I know.”

“Why have you led me to believe there’s an hour to your place?” he asked in a scolding tone, but laughed. Alassë grinned.

“Because I’m a bad, bad, woman."

“That you are. You know bad little girls get spankings, right?” he teased, and the whiskey had rendered her unable to hold in the squeal. She walked up the steps to her place, and immediately barking was heard. “Someone more than me who’s excited to see you,” Elrond said with a smile.

“Would you like to come inside?” Alassë asked as he walked up the stairs, standing close to her again. He cupped one of her cheeks, stroking it with his thumb.

“I would love that, but you said it yourself, you’ve had one too many tonight. It would feel like taking advantage of you.” She nodded her understanding and leaned in for another kiss. It was slow and warm and wonderful, with tongue, and arms wrapped around each other. She once again found herself breathless when they broke apart. “I’d be happy to take you out on a date this weekend, though, if you’ll let me,” he murmured against her lips. She nodded slowly.

“Sunday?” she asked quietly.

“Works for me. Goodnight, little one.” He began walking down the steps again.   
“Goodnight…. Daddy,” she giggled, quickly getting inside and shutting the door behind herself.


	10. Woods

Saturday she spent cleaning. Her place had gotten so messy lately and she had had to schedule the day to do a deep clean, but it proved harder than she thought as her mind kept wandering back to Elrond. From the kisses they shared the day before, to his thoughtfulness of not coming inside, to the wonderful ring he had  _ made  _ her. She hadn’t taken it off, and she kept praising it to her dogs, telling them which one of the heads were them. Her focus only changed when her phone buzzed.

Irish Coffee:  
_ Hope you didn’t get a bad hangover today. _

Little One:  
_ I’m hangover-proof! ;) _

Irish Coffee:  
_ Ha! Good to know.  
_ _ About tomorrow. Was thinking dinnertime. I’ll pick you up. Where we’re going is a surprise. But the dogs can come. Hint: It’s outside. _

Little One:  
_ Can’t wait ♡ _

She had decided on a pair of black jean shorts and a guns N’ roses tee. If it got cold she had her jacket. Since she didn’t know if they’d be on grass or stone, she settled for a pair of boots with a low, chunkier heel. Her hair was let out, she had a nice winged eyeliner, her wolf necklace and the new wolf ring. Her dogs were leashed and excited by the door as she got ready. A black BMW pulled up and stopped right in front of her house. 

“Come on guys!” she said as she left the house with the dogs following closely. Elrond got out of the car, and Alassë wolf-whistled as she saw him. Black jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged his strong arms. 

“Back at ya, darling,” he said as he came around the car, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I got the biggest dog crates I could find.” He opened his trunk and there were two large crates taking up the entirety of it. He had even put two blankets in so it would be nice and soft.

“That’s so sweet of you to do. Up!” she told Sandor and Arya, who obediently jumped up into the crates. She locked them in and closed the trunk, and then they were off. “So, do I get to know where we’re going now?” she asked hopefully.

“Nope,” he replied as he drove. She watched him closely. It was the first time she had seen his strong arms without a suit jacket covering them. His fingers held the steering wheel firmly.

“You look sexy driving,” she said. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Sandor and Arya sat quietly most of the journey, only barking at each other every now and then. The road grew smaller and woodsier the further Elrond drove. Eventually, he pulled over on the smallest parking lot Alassë had ever seen. In front of them was a big forest.

“We’re here,” he announced and shut off the engine. Alassë got the dogs and strapped them to her waist, which Elrond found funny.

“It’s safer!” she insisted. “Keeps me from dropping the leash if they see a rabbit and run at it.”   
“No I get it, it just looks awfully cute,” he said, laughing and wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they strolled through the forest. Sandor and Arya were happy, prancing around with their tongues out, picking up sticks, sniffing trees and running in circles. When they were far enough from the road, she let them off the leash.

“That safe with a wolfdog?” Elrond asked. “I read up on them, a lot of people seem to be saying they can never be off leash because of how much they love running. They’ll just run too far and not come back.”   
“That’s because those people don’t train their dogs properly,” she said and rolled her eyes, then changed her mind when a realisation crossed it. “Or well, no. It depends on the dog really. We have a dog at the shelter called Fred. He would definitely run away, but he’s damaged from his past owners. They didn’t treat him well… and they instilled zero discipline in him. But I trained Sandor and Arya from the first day I got them. Sandor, Arya, heel!” she commanded, and both dogs came running instantly, getting on each side of her and looking up at her as they walked. “Good dogs! Run free,” she said, scratching their ears before they ran off again. Elrond smiled widely.

“Are most dogs that come to you mistreated?” he asked after a while.

“No, which is a good change from working at a regular shelter. Some of them are, for sure, like Fred. But most dogs that come to us are just there because someone watched Game of Thrones and wanted a direwolf, didn’t do enough research, then realised a wolfdog is much more demanding than a normal dog, and they couldn’t keep up with it,” she explained. “But it’s terrible regardless, because wolfdogs have  _ such  _ a strong pack mentality, that it really really hurts them to be separated from their owner. So it can sometimes be like they were mistreated, simply because they lost their pack.” He nodded slowly in comprehension.

“I love hearing you talk about them. Your passion is amazing.” A blush spread across her cheeks. “Tell me something about yourself. What’s your family situation?”

“Umm…” Alassë mused, not sure where to begin. “I don’t have a lot of contact with my mum. She has drug problems, and did for most my upgrowth. My dad left us when I was a kid, I had a sister, who… isn’t alive,” she said awkwardly, not wanting to delve too deep into it, but she had just told Elrond more than she had told anyone in years. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt comfortable with him.

“I’m sorry,” Elrond said, rubbing her back.

“Aragorn is as close to family as I have. I practically lived with him as a teen. He’s my brother, essentially,” she explained with a smile.

“That’s nice, he seems like a good, honest person.”

“He is. What about you, what’s your situation?” she asked, and Elrond straightened his back, letting out a small sigh as he got ready to explain.

“My parents gave me and my twin brother up to a foster home when we were two. We were both adopted a year later, but my foster parents travelled a lot, so we never really had that close family connection,” he told her. “It left my childhood quite empty. But my brother and I get along great, despite him living him Ireland.”   
“What’s his name?” she asked, taking his hand as they walked.

“His name is Elros. He’s ten minutes younger than me. Looks exactly like me except he has a beard and he cut all his hair off as soon as he turned eighteen. He’s not Elvish. Both our biological parents are half-elves, and Elros never got the pointy ears...”   
“Wow! I’ve never heard of that, that’s so fascinating.”

“Yeah. We usually spend one weekend a month together. I’ll go down to him or he’ll come up to me.” She smiled.   
“I’m happy to hear that.”

They walked for another few minutes before Alassë let out a gasp. There, by the forest opening was a lake, with a blanket spread right in front of it, an old fashioned basket, string lights, pillows, candles and even a small log that could be used as a table. A huge smile spread on her face, and Elrond looked pleased at her reaction.

“This is amazing!” she squealed. Sandor began sniffing the basket, and Arya immediately went for the lake, dipping her paw in, and was quick to start yapping while looking at her owner.

“What?” she asked the dog, who barked. “You wanna swim? Is that it?” She barked again, dipping her other paw in and whining. “Go ahead!” Alassë said, and in a heartbeat the dog had jumped into the water, running around and splashing all over herself. Elrond chuckled at her.

“I hope you’re hungry,” he said and gestured towards the blanket, and they sat down.

“Oh yes.” He opened the basket, taking out plates, glasses, a bottle of red wine, and a lovely looking Caesar salad.

“Homemade dressing,” he mentioned while laying everything out and lighting the candles.

“You’re a doctor  _ and  _ a chef,” she praised, making him chuckle.

“Don’t say that until you’ve tasted.”

After she had tasted, she praised his cooking even more. It was delicious, and the wine - non alcoholic of course - went perfectly with it. He was even thoughtful enough to bring some bacon for the dogs.

“How old are they?” he wondered.

“Sandor is seven and Arya is five.”

“Do they know any other tricks?” he asked while she was breaking up the bacon into treat-sized pieces.

“Oh yeah,” she said proudly, holding up a piece of bacon. “Arya, sit, wait. Sandor, come here.” Arya sat, and Sandor came running up to her. “Down.” He laid down. “Sit.” He sat up. “Paw.” He put his paw in her hand. “Stand.” he stood. “Spin around.” He spun, and she stood up. “Touch,” she said, holding up her hand in the air. He jumped, touching her hand with his nose. “Speak.” He barked happily. “Gooood boy!” she praised, giving him the bacon. “Alright, Arya, Sandor, sit,” 

Both dogs sat down in front of her. “This one’s my favourite,” she told Elrond. “Gaw- at i ithil,” she said, and both dogs began to howl, their heads turning up towards the sky. Alassë howled with them, which in turn made them howl even louder. Elrond laughed in fascination. Both dogs got plenty of praise and treats from both elves.

“That’s brilliant, they’re brilliant,” Elrond said after the dogs returned to playing.

“They really are.”

“And you are too,” he said, reaching out to stroke her cheek. She smiled at him, curling up closer to him on the blanket.

“And you’re wonderful,” she whispered, leaning up to kiss him. He wrapped one arm around her and tangled the other hand in her hair, bringing her even closer. His tongue slipped between her parted lips and he slowly laid her down on the blanket. Alassë wrapped her legs around his hips, wanting to feel as much of him as possible against her. She felt him fumble around for something in the basket, then he pressed something, and music started playing. The song she had closed with on Friday.  _ I’m on fire. _

The song set the mood perfectly as he caressed her cheek, pushing some hair out of her face as they kept kissing. She wasn’t sure how long they had been at it, laying entwined in each other’s arms lip locking, but suddenly there was a bigger, wetter, warmer tongue on both their faces. They burst out laughing hysterically as Arya seemed to want to join the party, licking at them happily. Elrond wrapped his arms tight around Alassë and laughed, his chest movements echoing into her body. She hadn’t felt so warm and at peace in a long time. Only when she was on stage singing did she feel like this. It felt right. And it scared her. But she pushed that feeling away and hid her face in Elrond’s chest, protecting herself from her snog-happy dog.

The night flowed on, and ended with the four of them sitting by the lake, drinking wine and eating peanut butter cups which Elrond had brought, howling at the moon together.


	11. Whiskey Lullaby

Next week rolled on by with work. In the days she worked, in the evenings, she texted with Elrond and Thranduil. Her conversations with Elrond were growing deeper and more personal. Her conversations with Thranduil were growing more heated and sexual.

Friday rolled along. She had busted out her one pair of cowboy boots and put them on along with a cute flowery dress that reached her knees, her hair now had tight curls and her face a minimal makeup loo. It was country night, and she was more than excited. She basically jumped onto the bar stool and ordered a whisky shot and a Bailey’s coffee from Aragorn.

“You look happy,” he said.

“I am happy! It’s country night! I’m wearing my cowboy boots and you’re wearing a flannel! Can’t be anything other than a good night,” she cheered, downing her shot and taking the Bailey’s coffee on stage with her. “Evening lads and gentlemen, you ready for a country night!?” she hyped the crowd up and the band started playing.

_ Tumble outta bed _ _   
_ _ And I stumble to the kitchen _ _   
_ _ Pour myself a cup of ambition _ _   
_ _ And yawn and stretch _ _   
_ _ And try to come to life _ _   
_ She took a quick sip of her drink, smiling happily as she sang.  
_ Jump in the shower _ _   
_ _ And the blood starts pumpin’  
_ _ Out on the street _ _   
_ _ The traffic starts jumpin' _ _   
_ _ The folks like me on the job from 9 to 5 _

She sang the chorus before her eyes found Elrond, nodding along to the song with a smile on his face, raising his drink in a toast to her. Her eyes wandered to the silvery blond hair of Thranduil a few seats away. He didn’t look overly fond of country, but Alassë didn’t care. He sneered at a man in a flannel who bumped into him, causing her to have to hold in her laugh as to not fuck the song up.  _ 9 to 5  _ she finished, and immediately the band started playing  _ Jolene. _

_ Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene _ _   
_ _ I'm begging of you please don't take my man _ _   
_ _ Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene _ _   
_ _ Please don't take him just because you can _

She didn’t smile and dance during this song, it hit too close to home, reminding her of her evil ex and the beautiful girl he had cheated on her with.

_ Your beauty is beyond compare _ _   
_ _ With luscious locks of silver hair _ _   
_ _ With ivory skin and eyes of icy blue _ _   
_ _ Your smile is like a breath of spring _ _   
_ _ Your voice is soft like summer rain _ _   
_ _ And I cannot compete with you, Jolene _

Elrond picked up on her changing the words of the song, and his smile faltered as well, and his brows wound themselves tightly. Thranduil still looked mostly bothered by the peasants accidentally shoving at him. Alassë shut her eyes and kept singing, emotion thick in her voice.

_ You could have your choice of men _ _   
_ _ But I could never love again _ _   
_ _ He's the only one for me, Jolene _ _   
_ _ I had to have this talk with you _ _   
_ _ My happiness depends on you _ _   
_ _ And whatever you decide to do, Jolene _ _   
_ _ Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene _ _   
_ _ I'm begging of you please don't take my man _ _   
_ _ Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene _ _   
_ _ Please don't take him even though you can _ _   
_ _ Jolene, Jolene _

“Something about these country songs just makes me wanna get back at my evil ex… so here’s a harsher song,” she announced, finishing her drink as the band began to play. Finally, Thranduil’s attention had returned to her.

_ Right now he's probably slow dancing with a bleached-blond tramp _ _   
_ _ And she's probably getting frisky _ _   
_ _ Right now, he's probably buying her some fruity little drink _ _   
_ _ 'Cause she can't shoot whiskey _ _   
_ _ Right now, he's probably up behind her with a pool stick _ _   
_ _ Showing her how to shoot a combo _ _   
_ _ And he don't know... _

__ Her smile returned to her, imagining doing these things to that awful man. He had ruined her too much for her to be able to get revenge on him back then, but now she was healing, and she enjoyed fantasising about ruining his life the way he did hers.

_ That I dug my key into the side _ _   
_ _ Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive _ _   
_ _ Carved my name into his leather seats... _ _   
_ _ I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights _ _   
_ _ Slashed a hole in all four tires... _ _   
_ _ Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats _

She found both elves smiling, but soon, Elrond got up. Her eyes followed him over to the bar where he didn’t order anything it seemed, because instead of mixing drinks, Aragorn leaned both his elbows on the bar and talked to the elf.

_ I might've saved a little trouble for the next girl _ _   
_ _ 'Cause the next time that he cheats... _ _   
_ _ Oh, you know it won't be on me _ _   
_ _ No... not on me _ _   
_ _ 'Cause I dug my key into the side _ _   
_ _ Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive _ _   
_ _ Carved my name into his leather seats _ _   
_ _ I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights _ _   
_ _ Slashed a hole in all four tires... _ _   
_ _ Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats _

Alassë kept her attention on Thranduil instead, who looked much happier now than he had previously. She didn’t know what Elrond and Aragorn were talking about and she didn’t care at the moment, and instead moved on to the next few songs.  _ God’s gonna cut you down  _ by Johnny Cash, and after that  _ Cowboys and Angels  _ by Dustin Lynch. But had she known what they discussed, she would have been interested. Elrond had told Aragorn about their date, about their conversations, and finally he asked.

“She keeps mentioning her ex on stage. What did he do to her? I mean, I get that he cheated, but…”   
“He did more than cheat on her,” Aragorn cut in. “He abused her so badly. It’s because of him that she’s like this…” he groaned.

“Like what?” Elrond wondered.

“Unable to see who has good intentions or not. Unable to stick to dating  _ one  _ guy. I keep tryin’ to tell her, but she doesn’t listen. I’m sure you find it terribly frustrating that she’s stringing both you and Martini along.” Elrond cocked his head slightly, not wanting to confirm or deny his feelings about that. “It’s because she doesn’t trust men. He fucked her up in ways you couldn’t even imagine. She’d absolutely cut my head off for telling you this, but I have to, ‘cause… ‘cause I don’t want you to give up on her,” Aragorn explained, pouring them each a whiskey shot. They downed the shots before Elrond answered.

“I’m not planning on giving up on her. I just want to understand what I’m getting into. I want her to trust me, and I think she’s starting to, but… I want to know what she’s been through.” Aragorn nodded slowly.

“He made her believe he loved her. Then he cheated on her. When she confronted him, he… he forced himself on her. He planted into her head that she was  _ lucky  _ to have him care for her. She tried to leave, but he started abusing her, verbally as well as physically.”

_ I've got boots and she's got wings _ _   
_ _ I'm hell on wheels and she's heavenly _ _   
_ _ I'd die for her and she lives for me _ _   
_ _ Cowboys and angels _

__ Alassë’s song faded into the background as a rage flamed up inside Elrond. But the only outward sign of it were his furrowed eyebrows. Aragorn continued talking, while looking at Alassë lovingly.

“She’s stupid when it comes to feelings... I mean, she’s the smartest girl you’ll ever fucking meet, but she’s got a low feelings IQ, okay? Because that asshole fucking beat that sense out of her. He manipulated the shit out of her until he finally left her for some tramp he met at this very bar… It’s a wonder Alassë is as fine as she is and not dead in a ditch somewhere. So… the thing about her is, she both doesn’t trust men, she doesn’t think they’ll be loyal  _ and  _ she worries they’ll leave her  _ and  _ she won’t have one. That’s why she keeps playing with both of you. It allows her to keep her emotional distance, while at the same time dating both of you is a backup in case one of you ditches her.” Aragorn finally stopped talking, and Elrond was at a loss for words.

“Thank you for telling me,” he said finally. “And don’t worry, I won’t tell her you told me.”   
“Yes you will. Just not yet,” Aragorn said. “Scuse me I’ve got some drinks to pour.” And so Elrond went back to watching the elf woman on stage with new eyes.

“I’m about to bum you out a little now… I apologise in advance, but I sing what’s on my mind, and lately I’ve been thinking about my sister… Those of you who know will understand. Those who don’t, sorry,” Alassë said, swallowed, and began singing a much sadder tune.

_ She put him out like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette _ _   
_ _ She broke his heart he spent his whole life tryin' to forget _ _   
_ _ We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time _ _   
_ _ But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind _ _   
_ _ Until the night _ _   
_ _ He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger _ _   
_ _ And finally drank away her memory _ _   
_ _ Life is short but this time it was bigger _ _   
_ _ Than the strength he had to get up off his knees _ _   
_ _ We found him with his face down in the pillow _ _   
_ _ With a note that said I'll love her till I die _ _   
_ _ And when we buried him beneath the willow _ _   
_ _ The angels sang a whiskey lullaby _

__ Elrond’s mouth hung open as he listened carefully, trying to put two and two together. Alassë looked pained, sitting on the stool on stage singing with closed eyes. He realised why, because when she opened them for the next verse they were clouded with tears.

_ The rumors flew but nobody knew how much she blamed herself _ _   
_ _ For years and years she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath _ _   
_ _ She finally drank her pain away a little at a time _ _   
_ _ But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind _ _   
_ _ Until the night _ _   
_ _ She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger _

__ Her tears fell and her voice cracked while she sang. Elrond’s heart shattered in a million pieces as he began to understand.

_ And finally drank away his memory _ _   
_ _ Life is short but this time it was bigger _ _   
_ _ Than the strength she had to get up off her knees _ _   
_ _ We found her with her face down in the pillow _ _   
_ _ Clinging to his picture for dear life _ _   
_ _ We laid her next to him beneath the willow _ _   
_ _ While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby _ _   
_ _ La la la la la la la… _

__ Sobs racked her body as the backup singer and guitar player sand the last la la la’s. Elrond wanted nothing more than to run up on stage to hug her. Aragorn was suddenly next to him again.

“You get it now?” he asked.

“Her sister killed herself…” Elrond mumbled. Aragorn nodded. That did it for Elrond, he got up and walked over to the side of the stage, reaching his hand up towards Alassë. She wiped her tears and got up, walking towards him. 

“Hi,” she whispered through her tears and smiled. He took both her hands and kissed them gently.

“I’m so sorry about your sister, Alassë. I understand why you didn’t tell me before, but I get it now. I get it,” he whispered back to her. She nodded and more tears fell. Elrond reached up and dried them.

“Thank you…” she murmured, putting her hand on his cheek. “I have one more song.” He nodded, then squeezed her hand again before he returned to the bar. Alassë took a deep breath and returned to the middle of the stage. She picked up the acoustic guitar from a corner and sat back on her stool.

“Got a little more emotional than I expected, sorry about that! How about I play the guitar to make up for it?” she asked and chuckled weakly, adjusting the guitar. Then she began to play.

_ Last night, outta the blue _ _   
_ _ Driftin’ off to the evening news _ _   
_ _ I said, "Honey, what would you do _ _   
_ _ If you’d have never met me" _ _   
_ _ He just laughed, said "I don’t know, _ _   
_ _ But I could take a couple guesses though" _ _   
_ _ And then tried to dig real deep, _ _   
_ _ Said, "Darling honestly... _ _   
_ _ I’d do a lot more offshore fishin’ _ _   
_ _ I’d probably eat more drive-thru chicken _ _   
_ _ Take a few strokes off my golf game _ _   
_ _ If I’d have never known your name _ _   
_ _ I’d still be driving that old green ‘Nova _ _   
_ _ I probably never would have heard of yoga _ _   
_ _ I'd be a better football fan _ _   
_ _ But if I was a single man _ _   
_ _ Alone and out there on the loose _ _   
_ _ Well I’d be looking for a woman like you." _

Elrond watched her, already out of breath at how astonishing he thought she was. Thranduil nodded his head along slowly, admiring her despite not understanding the emotional roller coaster that was going on. First Alassë had been revenge driven, then she had cried, and now she smiled warmly. 

_ He could tell that got my attention _ _   
_ _ So he said, "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, _ _   
_ _ I wouldn’t trade a single day _ _   
_ _ For 100 years the other way." _ _   
_ _ I just smiled and rolled my eyes, _ _   
_ _ Cause I’ve heard all of his lines _ _   
_ _ He said, "C’mon on girl, seriously _ _   
_ _ If I hadn’t been so lucky, I’d be... _ _   
_ _ Shootin’ pool in my bachelor pad _ _   
_ _ Playing bass in my cover band _ _   
_ _ Restocking up cold Bud Light _ _   
_ _ For poker every Tuesday night, yeah _ _   
_ _ I’d have a dirt bike in the shed _ _   
_ _ And not one throw pillow on the bed _ _   
_ _ I’d keep my cash in a coffee can _ _   
_ _ But if I was a single man _ _   
_ _ Alone and out there on the loose _ _   
_ _ Well I’d be looking for a woman like you." _

__ Alassë’s smile grew wider, and her fingers plucked the guitar strings effortlessly. Her eyes moved between Elrond and Thranduil, sizing up their reactions to this song.

_ I know what a mess he’d be if he didn’t have me here _ _   
_ _ But to be sure, he whispered in my ear _ _   
_ _ "You know I get sick deep-sea fishin’ _ _   
_ _ And you make the best fried chicken _ _   
_ _ I got a hopeless golf game _ _   
_ _ I love the sound of your name _ _   
_ _ I might miss that old green ‘Nova _ _   
_ _ But I love watchin’ you do yoga _ _   
_ _ I’d take a gold band on my hand _ _   
_ _ Over being a single man _ _   
_ _ Cause honestly I don’t know what I’d do _ _   
_ __ If I’d never met a woman like you."

She smiled and put the guitar down, giggling while the crowd clapped their hands. Elrond turned to Aragorn with a curious expression on his face. Aragorn raised his eyebrows.

“Gods be good, I’m in love with her,” Elrond realised out loud, bringing a huge smile to the bartender’s face.


	12. Weekend Getaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while, I've been on vacation :)

Thranduil had reached out to her the night of her show, telling her how moved he was by her performance. Then he had asked her to come out with him the next weekend, to his island, where he was hosting a work event. She had questioned whether he really owned an island, and he confessed he co-owned it with his best friend, and she had agreed to go after Aragorn refused to watch her dogs during the days, but Suzie agreed.

Thranduil had offered to pick Alassë up in his Tesla, but she had insisted on driving her beloved old Volkswagen. His Yacht took them to the island, though, as Alassë didn’t have a boat of her own. There were twenty other guys on the Yacht with them, and in no way would she learn all those names in one weekend.

“Here, my little songbird,” Thranduil said when he noticed Alassë looking around nervously. She smiled and allowed him to wrap his arms around her. “You’re cold. You freezing?” he asked, and she shook her head. “Let’s get you another drink, what do you want?”   
“Whiskey, neat,” she mumbled.

“Oh come on, maybe something more fun than that?”

“Uhm, a strawberry daiquiri then,” she changed her mind, and Thranduil made sure a server got her order. Having cocktails with him and the finance guys was quite fun, she enjoyed learning about the stock market and various companies. They were hosting this event because Thranduil had made a very successful investment. He was so proud to show Alassë off, taking her around to meet everyone, but there was a nagging feeling in her stomach when she was interrupted. She couldn’t help feeling like Thranduil just wanted her there as a trophy.

“Why don’t you sing for us, love?” he suggested.

“What?” She snapped out of her little bubble.

“We’ll be there in thirty. You wanna grab the mic and show everyone how talented you are?” She hesitated for a while, took a few more sips, then nodded.

“Sure,” she said.

“Sing that Marilyn Monroe song, it’ll be a hit. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”   
“Uh, I don’t usually… take orders… but yeah, okay,” she agreed. “For you.” She leaned up, and Thranduil stroked her cheek before leaning in to kiss her. It took away her worries, and she headed over to the entertaining area. Thranduil happily introduced her and bragged about her talent before giving her another kiss and sitting down to enjoy her show. She sang the song he wanted, and a few more with the same theme, and soon they arrived at the private island.

It was a gorgeous island with multiple little cottages. They were only little compared to the two large houses, though the small ones were bigger than Alassë’s row house. She suddenly missed her dogs. She clutched her necklace while Thranduil talked about the island. The cocktails went on half the night, many of the guys got way too drunk. That was no new sight to Alassë. She and Thranduil retired to one of the big houses around three in the morning, and by then the alcohol had warmed her body enough that she felt no anxiety. She and Thranduil ended up fucking into the early morning, only then did they fall asleep.

The late, lazy breakfast was wonderful, served by chefs she didn’t even know were there. They didn’t finish breakfast until lunchtime, and lunch wasn’t over before dinnertime. Now Alassë was getting ready for cocktails. She wore a lovely purple gown, and her wolf necklace popped out.

“Must you wear that?” Thranduil asked. She frowned.

“You don’t like the dress? I can change it,” she said, patting her hips.

“No, sweetie, the dress is perfect. Just doesn’t go with the necklace.”   
“Then I’ll change it.”   
“Yeah, wear the diamond necklace I got you!”

“Uh, I meant the dress…” Alassë mumbled awkwardly.

“No, come on, love, don’t be silly, switch necklaces.”   
“I haven’t taken off this necklace in ten years and I’m not taking it off for you!” she yelled in panic. Thranduil was visibly taken aback.

“Fine… Sorry,” he said. She smiled and nodded, adjusting the wolf and thinking back to Elrond and the ring he had made her. It brought a smile to her face. Cocktails approached. Alassë had compromised, wearing the diamond necklace as well as her beloved wolf. 

“...and that’s when she said she voted Labour!” she heard one guy burst out. Another was talking about the way conservatives ruined the economy. Alassë rolled her eyes. She hated politics. Too much fighting and too little action. She did her duty and voted, but she never told a soul what for, and she refused to talk about politics even when others did. Thranduil, however, joined in on the conversation though, patting his lap for Alassë to sit. Now that she could agree to. He wrapped her arms around her and kept talking, until a server came to ask what they wanted.

“Martini please,” Thranduil ordered.

“Whiskey, neat,” Alassë said. Thranduil gave her a look. “I’d really like a whiskey,” she repeated with a big smile. He shrugged and returned to the conversation. Blah blah tories here, blah blah Labour there.

“It’s astonishing how that wet shit of a man can call himself a leader…” some guy named Greg said, and Alassë sighed.

“Yes, they all suck massively, how about a new topic? Greg, didn’t you just buy a company?” she asked, and Greg began to explain. She tuned him out instantly as her whiskey was served. “Keep ‘em coming!” The only thing she found enjoyable about the whole night was the whiskeys and the warmth of Thranduil’s lap. But once again she began to feel like a trophy, as he moved his hand down to her bum and started bragging about how he pursued her, and how he even had to compete with another elf for her, and how he won.

“No one’s won yet,” she told him when they were back in the house.

“What do you mean, you’re here with me. You’re dating me, you’re sleeping with me. What’s he got that I haven’t?”

“That’s not what I… I just meant that I haven’t decided yet. I haven’t stopped seeing him just because I’m with you this weekend. And I’ve made that clear…”

“I thought you’d set him aside by now.” Anxiety started clawing at her chest again. “Come on, what’s he got that I haven’t?” Thranduil asked again. She swallowed hard.

“He didn’t ask me to take my necklace off, he made me a ring that matched it,” she said, tears finding their way to her eyes. Thranduil’s face filled with guilt.

“Sweetie, I’m sorry. What can I do to make you feel better?”   
“I’d like to not be here,” she mumbled through tears, covering her mouth and turning away from him.

“I never meant to make you feel like-”   
“All this time all you’ve done is show me off, but you haven’t even let me… haven’t even let  _ me  _ shine through. I can’t be here right now, Thranduil, I’m so sorry, please can you call someone to… I have to go back home,” she cried, her breath getting short and her chest tight.

“I can take you back home, sweetie, but I don’t understand…”   
“What are my dogs’ names?” she asked as firmly as she could, facing him.

“What?”

“That’s what he’s got that you don’t. He listens when I talk and he cares. What. Are my dogs. named?” she repeated. Thranduil shut his eyes.

“It’s… something from Harry Potter,” he said, looking at her hopefully. She shook her head.

“Please take me home… I’m sorry.” She wiped her tears. Thranduil nodded, defeated. He took her back home in the Yacht, asked if she wanted him to drive her home, but she shook her head, getting back in her own car, already feeling safer back in her own environment. 

“Please call me tomorrow so we can talk about this,” Thranduil asked her through the window.  She nodded, and the second he got back on the boat, she opened her glove box and put the wolf ring back on her finger. Then she drove straight to Aragorn.


	13. Walls Torn Down

She banged and banged on Aragorn’s door until he flung it open.

“It’s the middle of the night!” he scolded.   
“It’s seven am.”   
“I’m a bartender, seven am is the middle of the night to me!” he groaned and rubbed his eyes, then he noticed how red she was around hers and his voice softened instantly. “You’re not supposed to be back until tonight. You’ve been crying. I’ll put a kettle on.” She came inside and he brought out the lavender tea he hated but kept in his drawer for her . She told him everything. About how he asked her to sing, about the necklace, about how she felt with him.

“And it’s not that I don’t like him, I do, but I hate the person I am when I’m with him! I felt like I was just there as an accessory!” she explained. “Like I was there to make him look better… I was arm candy! I don’t want to be arm candy, I want to be… I want to be a girlfriend.” Aragorn nodded knowingly.

“I know. I refused to watch your dogs because I didn’t want you to go. I knew something like this would happen, I know you,” he declared, and put a blanket over her, making her realise she was shaking. “You’re not the only one good at reading people, I read him the first time I saw him. He’s not the one for you. I don’t understand why you’re ditching the elf who genuinely cares about you. You should be with Elrond right now!” She squeezed the blanket closer.

“I know… I want to, but we got too personal,” she mumbled, making him roll his eyes.

“You always do this.”

“He knows too much but not enough, and he’s so wonderful and sweet and caring, but soon enough if I keep seeing him I’ll have to tell him everything…” she was winding herself up, talking faster, breathing faster. Aragorn sighed. “It’s one thing to sing sad songs and hint at a bad past but I am fucked up, Aragorn! All the shit I’ve been through fucked me up and I’m completely emotionally dysfunctional and he’s gonna find out!” She got up and started pacing around. “If it gets serious I’ll have to tell him all about Jake and about my sister, and he won’t want me anymore, he’s not gonna want a broken girl, he’ll find just just how fucked up I really am and then he’ll leave! Because it’s fucking terrifying dating someone like me! So he’ll leave just like everyone always does!” Tears fell freely from her eyes as she cried in panic. Aragorn got up and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly.

“He’s not going to leave,” he assured her.

“You don’t know that! I’m fucking scared, because everyone I’ve gotten close enough with has always left as soon as they found out-”   
“He’s not going to leave, because he already knows!” Aragorn raised his voice, interrupting her. Panic washed over Alassë and she wanted to pull away, but he held her still.

“What?” she demanded. He rested his chin on her head and took a deep breath.

“Elrond already knows how fucked up you are, because I told him.”   
“What?” she asked again.

“Last weekend when you sang Carrie Underwood…” he sighed. “ he came up to me and asked about your ex. I told him everything, told him all the shit Jake put you through. Told him how it messed you up. And he didn’t leave, Ally! Instead he walked right up to you after you sang about your sister, and he comforted you. Then he went back to me, listened to your last song and confessed that he was in love with you,” Aragorn explained, finally releasing her, who slowly took a step back in shock.

“He said that?” she asked quietly. Aragorn nodded. “How could you tell him without my permission?”

“Because I didn’t want your heart shattered in a million pieces again. You always wait too long before you tell guys about your past, and then they get scared and leave and break your heart! I wanted to know if he’d stay or not, and I wanted to find out  _ before  _ you fell head over heels too hard for him,” he explained. “If he wanted out, that was his chance! If he would leave, I wanted him to do it before  _ you _ fell in love with  _ him.  _ I know I wasn’t in my right to do it, but fuck it, I did it anyway, and it was the right thing to do.” Alassë threw her arms Aragorn and hugged him while tears ran down her cheeks.

“Thank you,” she sobbed. His response was to chuckle and rub her back. They made pancakes for breakfast and had a lazy morning together, watching Friends and complaining about Ross. When Aragorn had a date in the afternoon, and after Alassë helped him choose what to wear, she left, driving by Suzie on her way home to pick up her dogs. Suzie inquired about the weekend, and Alassë had to explain why she left early, and after some time, Suzie understood. The rest of the night she spent cuddling with Sandor and Arya. She never called Thranduil.


	14. You don't own me

She didn’t speak much to anyone the following week, taking extra long shifts at the shelter. Suzie tried talking her into at least calling Thranduil to explain, but she refused, putting all her serious conversations off for now. Come Friday she would deal with her shit, she reasoned, So she took extra care in picking her songs for this Friday as well. She already knew one that was perfect. She hadn’t spoken to Thranduil or Elrond because she wasn’t good with words, she was sure she would mess up. But she spoke well with music, so this Friday’s set had to be perfect. For both of them.

In a black gown with gold embroidery, she entered the bar when Friday came around. She was never nervous about doing shows anymore, but tonight her tummy was uneasy. Aragorn, who was the only person she had confided in, had a whisky shot in his hand for her as soon as she reached him. She toasted to him and drank it slowly for once. 

“Excuse me!” some very annoyed girl called, and Aragorn looked over to her. “This doesn’t taste right,” she whined, putting her pink drink on the bartop.

“I warned you strawberry daiquiris are gross,” Aragorn said, sounding fed up, he had clearly been arguing with this girl before Alassë got here.

“They’re not, but this one is. I wanna talk to the owner about your service!” she demanded, and Alassë let out a loud, condescending laugh, earning her a scoff from the girl. Aragorn nodded.

“I’ll get him for you,” he said, spun around a lap, then looked at her with his hands planted on the bar. “What the fuck do you want?” he asked. The girl scoffed even louder.

“I said I wanna talk to the owner!” she raised her voice, and now Alassë was fed up as well.

“Crazy bitch, wasn’t that obvious? You’re talking to him!” she yelled. The girl just growled and stormed out. Alassë laughed as Aragorn planted his head down in his arms.

“I swear I’ve been arguing about that daiquiri for an hour. As soon as some chick says ‘make sure I can taste the alcohol’ in a strawberry daiquiri, you know it’s gonna be a bad night,” he groaned.

“Hey, maybe you’re the reason we don’t have ladies here on Fridays, not me!” she said cheerily. Aragorn leaned up again.

“No, it’s definitely you,” he said and chuckled.

“Stay strong,” she joked, finished the whisky and got up on stage. She instantly found Elrond and Thranduil both there. She wasn’t sure either of them would come after what had happened, but thankfully they were both here.

“Evening lads and gentlemen! I don’t speak very well with words, but better with songs. I want you to know that I chose every song tonight with extreme consideration,” she announced. Some people looked confused, others looked appreciative, and Thranduil and Elrond looked interested. The band began playing.

_ You don't own me, I'm not just one of your many toys _ _   
_ _ You don't own me, don't say I can't go with other boys _

Thranduil’s face fell. Alassë slowly moved forward on the stage, not looking at him at first, instead at Aragorn. Pride was written on his face.

_ And don't tell me what to do _ _   
_ _ Don't tell me what to say _ _   
_ _ And please when I go out with you _ _   
_ _ Don't put me on display, 'cause _ _   
_ _ You don't own me, don't try to change me in any way _ _   
_ _ You don't own me, don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay _

__ Finally her eyes skipped over Elronds and locked with Thranduil’s. He looked mortified. She knew he regretted the way he had treated her. He had told her so in the many texts he sent durings the week, but he had hurt her, and she didn’t let go easy.

_ Oh, I don't tell you what to say _ _   
_ _ I don't tell you what to do _ _   
_ _ So just let me be myself _ _   
_ _ That's all I ask of you _ _   
_ _ I'm young and I love to be young _ _   
_ _ I'm free and I love to be free _ _   
_ _ To live my life the way I want _ _   
_ _ To say and do whatever I please _

She couldn’t help smiling, the song empowered her, and even though Thranduil looked more and more despaired with each line, she carried on, and it felt so good. Maybe because it was the first time she had ever stood up for herself against a man she knew.

_ You don’t own me… _

She finished, and the handsome silver haired elf looked away, not wanting her to see his tears, his disappointment. In himself.

Applause filled the room, and Alassë felt bad as Thranduil excused himself and headed towards the bathrooms. She took a deep breath, looking to Aragorn for strength. A supportive smile instantly appeared on his face and he nodded. She nodded back to him and composed herself. The band started on the next song,  _ Love me tender,  _ by Elvis Presley. It shifted the mood in the bar quite well, and after that it was time.

“This one’s for you, Doctor Daddy,” she said, smiling at Elrond, who looked slightly worried due to Thranduil’s reaction. But her smile reassured him, and he relaxed back in the chair, taking a sip of his Irish Coffee.

_ I gotta take a little time _ _   
_ _ A little time to think things over _ _   
_ _ I better read between the lines _ _   
_ _ In case I need it when I'm older _ _   
_ _ Now this mountain I must climb _ _   
_ _ Feels like a world upon my shoulders _ _   
_ _ Through the clouds I see love shine _ _   
_ _ It keeps me warm as life grows colder _

__ He knew the song, and tried to stop his smile from taking over his face, but he failed tremendously. He had butterflies in his stomach in a way he hadn’t ever had before.

_ In my life there's been heartache and pain _ _   
_ _ I don't know if I can face it again _ _   
_ _ Can't stop now, I've traveled so far _ _   
_ _ To change this lonely life _ _   
_ _ I wanna know what love is _ _   
_ _ I want you to show me _ _   
_ _ I wanna feel what love is _ _   
_ _ I know you can show me _

Alassë channeled all her power for the chorus, and it washed over Elrond like a tsunami. He loved the rough, pure raw power in her voice, and he loved how it instantly softened to silk again.

_ I'm gonna take a little time _ _   
_ _ A little time to look around me _ _   
_ _ I've got nowhere left to hide _ _   
_ _ It looks like love has finally found me _ _   
_ _ In my life there's been heartache and pain _ _   
_ _ I don't know if I can face it again _ _   
_ _ I can't stop now, I've traveled so far _ _   
_ _ To change this lonely life _ _   
_ _ I wanna know what love is _ _   
_ _ I want you to show me _ _   
_ _ I wanna feel what love is _ _   
_ _ I know you can show me _

He couldn’t stop himself, he sang quietly along with her. Aragorn had the biggest smile on his face too, serving drinks happily while nodding along to the music, occasionally looking up to see the chemistry between Alassë on stage and Elrond in the crowd. Each time he saw it it made him smile wider.

_ I wanna know what love is _ _   
_ _ I want you to show me _ _   
_ _ And I wanna feel, I want to feel what love is _ _   
_ _ And I know, I know you can show me _ _   
_ _ Let's talk about love _ _   
_ _ I wanna know what love is, the love that you feel inside _ _   
_ _ I want you to show me, and I'm feeling so much love _ _   
_ _ I wanna feel what love is, no, you just cannot hide _ _   
_ _ I know you can show me, yeah _

Elrond blew her a kiss as soon as she finished the song. She pretended to catch it and place it on her cheek, earning some laughs from the audience.

“This next song is personal… means a lot to me, takes me back to my upbringing,” she explained, smoothing out the tiniest crinkle in her dress while the band played and she waited for her que.

_ I heard the angels call again _ _   
_ _ I threw myself a party _ _   
_ _ Chardonnay and oxy _ _   
_ _ I stopped the screams inside my head _ _   
_ _ I remember when you had me _ _   
_ _ Floating high like Sid and Nancy _ _   
_ _ They say it's not the answer but I can't carry on _ _   
_ _ 'Cause I got nowhere, no one, without you boy I'm done _ _   
_ _ And when I'm gone, remember you're the one _ _   
_ _ And just because I fight don't mean that I never learned how to love _

__ Aragorn had stopped serving drinks and just stood there looking at her. He knew this part of her too well. Thranduil had come out from the men’s room, and he ordered another drink from the bartender, who for the first time didn’t look at him with disgust.

_ You know devils don't fly  _ _   
_ _ So don't expect me not to fall _ _   
_ _ Devils don't fly _ _   
_ _ But God we almost had it all _ _   
_ _ But I got chains and you got wings, _ _   
_ _ You know that life ain't fair sometimes _ _   
_ _ Devils don't fly _ _   
_ _ But I try. _

__ The smile Elrond had on his face wasn’t a happy or sad one. Nor was it a pity smile. It was the kind of smile a father would give, or a psychologist. It was warm, not quite understanding, yet more understanding than any other. It was the smile of someone who understood that soon, he  _ would  _ understand.

_ What's a girl to do when she's not strong _ _   
_ _ When everyone that holds my hand _ _   
_ _ Gets cut from all the thorns _ _   
_ _ I used to put my ear against the wall _ _   
_ _ To hear the screams, to hear the fall _ _   
_ _ More reasons to escape it all _

__ She could almost hear the sounds of her family fighting, and she pushed the memories away.

_ And it's not the answer but I can't carry on _ _   
_ _ I give my best smile, my last dime _ _   
_ _ But I'm always getting wrong _ _   
_ _ It's not 'cause I'm young or from a broken home _ _   
_ _ Maybe I just fight 'cause I don't know where I belong _ _   
_ _ You know devils don't fly _ _   
_ _ So don't expect me not to fall _ _   
_ _ Devils don't fly _ _   
_ _ But God we almost had it all _ _   
_ _ But I got chains and you got wings, _ _   
_ _ You know that life ain't fair sometimes _ _   
_ _ Devils don't fly _ _   
_ _ But I try. _

Alassë’s eyes were fixed on Elrond and the world faded away. This part was for him, they both knew it.

_ Angels were never meant to fall _ _   
_ _ And you are the loveliest of all _ _   
_ _ If I thought God could fix it _ _   
_ _ I'd pray for your forgiveness _ _   
_ _ But I've been cast down, thrown out _ _   
_ _ When I crossed to the other side _ _   
_ _ No devils don't fly! _ _   
_ _ You know devils don't fly  _ _   
_ _ So don't expect me not to fall _ _   
_ _ Devils don't fly _ _   
_ _ But God we can have it all _ _   
_ _ Though I got chains and you got wings, _ _   
_ _ You know that life ain't fair sometimes _ _   
_ _ Devils don't fly _ _   
_ _ But I try. _ _   
_ _ Yes I’ll try... _

She finished her set with more sweet songs, some jazzy ones, some rock, but they were all sweet and romantic. She thanked the crowd and left the stage, heading to the bar where she grabbed her ginger toddy. Thranduil was still sitting there, his martini only half finished.

“I’m sorry,” was the first thing he said. It was warm and genuine. She moved closer to him, realising they needed to talk. “I know I made you feel horrible, and there’s nothing I regret more. I deserved it, that song, it wasn’t right of me to try to change you. You’re the loveliest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on and I still couldn’t let you be yourself. It’s a pathological problem I have, I’m s-”   
“Thranduil,” she stopped him, putting her hand on his. “It’s okay. I forgive you,” she said.

“You do?” He looked hopeful.   
“Yeah. I’m sorry too. Sorry for not calling or texting back. I needed this week to think. I think you’re lovely. You’re gorgeous, you’re intelligent, charming, successful… You’re basically Mister Perfect, but it’s still not right between us,” she explained.

“Can it be?” he asked, already knowing the answer. She shook her head. “Would it have been different if I had treated you differently? If I hadn’t asked you to take off your necklace, if I hadn’t done what I always do and try to change people. Do you think we would have worked then?” Alassë had to think for a moment about that.

“No… we’re from different worlds. One of us would have to change. I don’t wear expensive diamond necklaces and the latest brand dresses, I wear my wolf necklace, and I  _ love  _ finding the perfect dress for five quid in a thrift shop! I don’t eat flan or strawberries infused with champagne, I eat peanut butter cups, like three packs! I’m not made to go on yachts to private islands and talk stocks and politics, I’m made to fall into mud in the woods when my dogs get too excited,” she told him. “You and I weren’t made for each other. It was never gonna work between us. You’re not made for mud and rain coats, and I’m not going to change you. You’ll find your queen someday, but it’s not me.” Thranduil nodded slowly, realising that she was right. She withdrew her hand and placed it on his cheek instead, giving him a small kiss. He smiled and rubbed her arms.

“You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for. Take care, songbird, I’m sure I’ll see you around,” he said and got up.

“You know where to find me,” she replied with a smile, and he walked away. It was a heavy feeling watching him leave, but she knew it was right, for both of them.

“I’m proud of you,” came Aragorn’s voice.

“Gods, do you always creep on my conversations?” she asked jokingly. He shrugged.

“Only the ones by the bar,” he admitted. She laughed. The girl who had argued over the strawberry daiquiri had come back, and this time she had brought a guy. Alassë thought he looked familiar but paid him no more attention, instead she smiled as Elrond came towards her, sitting down on the stool next to her.

“Hi Daddy,” she said flirtatiously.

“That’s Doctor Daddy to you, miss!” he scolded with a contagious smile. “Fantastic show tonight.”

“Thank you…” she grew more serious. “I meant it, you know… I want you to show me what love is. The only love I’ve ever known has been a messed up perversion- fuck, he’s got a gun!!” she screamed, and panic elicited. The guy who came in with strawberry girl held a gun pointed right at Alassë. Her hands flew into the air as she backed up against the bar. Her eyes were wide and she couldn’t breathe. 

“Move, you little whore,” the man with the weapon growled. Aragorn was frozen in panic behind the bar, and Elrond seemed to try to read the room. Alassë took a step forwards.

“What do you want?” she asked shakily. “I know you…” she began to put the puzzle together as his face became clearer. She began to cry when she realised she was looking at Jake’s brother. “Please,” she begged, but he just reached forward and grabbed her, wrapping an arm around her neck and pointing the gun at her head. A pathetic whimper escaped her lips.

“Let her go,” Elrond demanded steadily, reaching his hands out slowly, peacefully.

“Shut the fuck up, Elvish cunt,” the man snapped. Alassë stared at Elrond in panic, but he looked calm. His grey eyes met hers and it was as if his calm washed over her. She would be alright if she trusted him. His words faded from her hearing, but she knew he was bargaining for her. The man moved the gun, away from from Alassë’s head and now pointed it towards Elrond. The whole bar was silent. The guests who hadn’t run outside were now just staring.

“Fucking try me, old man,” the man growled at Elrond. Alassë took a deep breath, found herself, and kicked. It all happened in mere seconds. Her heel dug into his crotch, she grabbed the arm around her neck and bit down as hard as she could. The man screamed and dropped the gun, Alassë lept free, Elrond was in front of her, she was shoved behind him, then the gun was in his hand and it went off. Alassë screamed in panic as blood gushed from the man who had almost shot her, and who was now on the floor screaming in pain. Suddenly the whole bar was panicking again, filling up with screams. Alassë stared in horror at the man bleeding on the floor. He had stopped screaming as he had his his head when he fell.

“Call the police and an ambulance!” Elrond yelled at Aragorn before he hunched down, and his warm hand landed on Alassë’s bare shoulder. She gasped. “Don’t look at him. Look at me,” he told her, and reluctantly she moved her head, turning to look at him.

“Is he dead?” she asked weakly. Elrond shook his head calmly.

“I shot him in the shoulder, he’s not going to die,” he assured her. She realised he was still holding the gun.

“How do you know how to shoot like that?” she whispered, staring up at him with tears in her eyes. He shrugged.

“I was a surgeon, I’m good with my hands,” he said. Alassë’s head grew heavy and room spun around. “Darling, look at me. Breathe. You’re alright, you’re alright…” he murmured. She tried to remember how to breathe. Aragorn hopped over the bar, taking the gun from Elrond and setting it on the table next to them. He hunched down next to Alassë as well.

“Ally, the police are on their way. And an ambulance for him. They’re gonna take him away. You’ll be okay, babe, I promise.” He pressed a kiss to her hair and rubbed her back. She managed a small nod. He got up again and started talking to the customers, assuring them everything was alright. They all got their drinks free and he showed a few shocked guests out, while he asked some to stay and talk to the police, based on what they had seen. It didn’t take long before the cops arrived, blue lights flashing outside the bar.

“Let’s get you sitting, love,” Elrond murmured, helping Alassë up onto a chair. She was completely frozen on that chair as she watched the cops storm in, guns raised. They quickly found the man on the floor, and the gun on the table. Suddenly all their weapons were aimed at Elrond.

“Sir, put your hands above your head!” they commanded. Elrond raised his hands, the police approached him, and now Alassë truly panicked. She shot up.

“Stop it! He saved my life. “She screamed at the top of her lungs, and pointed to the man on the floor. “That’s the guy who had the gun.” As soon as their weapons lowered she sunk back into the chair, clinging to Elrond for dear life. The paramedics took care of the bleeding man, quickly taking him away, And two of the cops approached Alassë.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” the female asked. She looked for words. Was she? “Physically, are you injured?” she clarified. Alassë shook her head. “Good, can you tell me what happened?” Alassë tried to answer, but words weren’t coming out of her mouth no matter how hard she tried.

“She’s in shock,” Elrond stepped in.

“I understand that, sir. Can you tell us what happened?” she turned to him. 

“Alassë sings here every Friday, and tonight after the show, that guy came in out of nowhere, gun pointed at her. I don’t know who he is, if they know each other or not…” he explained calmly. “He just grabbed her and held the gun to her head. I tried to reason with him. While I talked, she managed to kick and bite him, which made him to drop his gun, so as soon as Alassë was safely behind me, I grabbed it and shot. I didn’t see what other choice I had. But I only shot him in the shoulder, officer, non-lethal.

“Can anyone back up this story?” the male cop asked loudly.

“I can, he’s telling the truth,” Aragorn said as he approached them.

“Who are you?” the cop asked.

“Aragorn. I’m the owner of the bar, and Alassë’s best friend. Elrond’s telling the truth,” he reassured them. “I’m the one who called you. I know who the guy is, his name is Paul. He’s the brother of her crazy psychopath ex boyfriend.”

“Alright,” the female cop said before turning to Alassë again. “Miss, I understand that you’re in shock right now, but I really need you to talk to us so we can sort this out.” Unfortunately, all Alassë managed to do was start crying again.

“How about she comes by the station tomorrow? I think she needs a hot drink and some rest…” Elrond said, rubbing her shoulder again.

“Do you have anyone who can take you home, miss?” the officer asked. Alassë looked between Elrond and Aragorn, who exchanged looks. Aragorn had to take care of the bar, clean up the floor and usher the guests out before he could take her home, they knew that.

“I’ll get her home safe,” Elrond said.

“Is that alright with you, miss?” the officer asked. Alassë clung to Elrond’s arm again and just nodded. “He’ll take you home, and you’ll come in to the station tomorrow to talk to us, okay?”   
“Mhm,” she managed to get out while nodding.

“Good. Okay, miss. We’re gonna get this sorted and this man won’t be able to hurt you again, we’ll make sure of that.” The officers left her and Aragorn was there again.

“Ally,” he said, putting his hand on her cheek and gently lifting her head to face him. “I’ll come over as soon as I can. Elrond will get you home and I’ll come later. I promise.” She nodded in understanding and Elrond helped her up, and they left the bar together.


	15. It was always you

Elrond took off his brown suit jacket and wrapped it around Alassë’s shoulders before she had the chance to grow cold. Her shoes were in his hand as she struggled to walk in her heels at the moment. They walked slowly and in silence, with his arm around her, gently guiding her. She fumbled in her purse for her keys as she heard the familiar barks of her dogs when they walked up to steps to her row house. As soon as the door opened, she fell to her knees and her dogs were on her, greeting her with happy licks all over her arms and face. She broke down crying and all she could do was hug them, hug her safe precious pups as she finally calmed down. Elrond locked the door behind them and set her shoes on the shelf. She got up and dropped his suit from her shoulders.

“I want to take a shower…” she mumbled. “I feel dirty… can still feel his smell…” she rubbed her own arms and looked away.   
“Okay, let’s get you into shower,” he agreed. After finding the shower he got in before her, turning the water on to make sure it was hot when she got in. She shed her clothes, and Elrond forced himself to look away as she walked past him and into the shower. “Call me if you need anything,” he told her.

“Yeah…” she mumbled, grabbing the showerhead and sinking to the floor of the shower. Elrond took this time to look around her house. It was quaint and nicely decorated, with a sleeping den behind the living room. There were blankets laid on the floor next to the bed, where one of the dogs currently laid.

He found the kitchen, and located a kettle and some cups, so he prepared tea. He remembered her mentioning how Aragorn kept some tea at his place that he hated but she loved… Some herb tea… He flipped through her selection of black teas, green teas, herbal teas…

“Ah!” He found it. Lavender. He assumed she liked honey, since she had three different kinds, so he grabbed that too. Arya came up to him, wagging her tail happily with her tongue out. “Hey girl.” He leaned down and scratched her behind her ear, which she loved. Then he found some matches, so he lit the candles in the sleeping den. They were all hidden from the dogs in locked candle holders. He also took the liberty to open her wardrobe, pulling out a pair of fuzzy socks and what he deemed to be the coziest pyjamas in there, a soft white matching set. The water turned off in the bathroom, and soon Alassë came staggering out to the bedroom cubicle with a towel wrapped tightly around her.

“Hi…” she mumbled.

“Hi. Tea?” he asked.

“Please,” she answered.

“Fuzzy pyjamas?” He gestured towards the white set on the bed.

“Please.” She nodded, and while Elrond went to the kitchen, she changed into the pyjama set. When he came back with the tea cups he found Alassë already curled up in the bed, and Sandor had moved from the blankets up to the bed with her.

“May I?” Elrond asked, nodding to the free space next to her. She just nodded.

“Bring the laptop…”

“Got it,” he said and picked it off the chest of drawers “Game of Thrones? Friends?” he asked as he sat down next to her. She cuddled close to him, resting her head on his chest.

“Gilmore Girls,” she said and typed in the password on her laptop.

“Ahh…never watched that one.”   
“I like the safety of it,” she mumbled. Arya jumped onto the bed and joined the party.

“This is quite nice…” Elrond murmured, planting a kiss in Alassë’s hair.

“Despite the circumstances, yes…” she mumbled, and it didn’t take many minutes before she was sleeping.

“Guess lavender really is calming,” he said to himself, continuing to watch the show while stroking Alassë’s hair, sometimes stopping to pet the dogs. Some thirty minutes later he heard the lock turn, and panic spread in his gut before he remembered Aragorn was coming over, and he probably had his own key. Elrond’s thought was confirmed when the dogs ran up to greet him happily and he appeared behind the wall.

“She asleep?” he asked. Elrond nodded.

“Took a shower, had some tea, put on Gilmore Girls and then passed out.” Aragon smiled a bit.

“Congratulations, you found the holy trinity of Alassë,” he said as the dogs ran circles around him. “Yeah, you wanna go out, don’t ya, I know you do.” he said, grabbing the leashes. “I’ll take them for a walk, you fine here with her?” he asked.

“Absolutely. Thank you. Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I’m good. Cleaned up the mess at the bar… Thank you for shooting that fuckin’ asshole.” He secured the dogs around his waist just like Alassë did.

“I had to,” Elrond said rather sternly.

“Were you in the army?” Aragorn asked, making the elf frown.

“Why?” The bartender had a knowing look on his face.

“That was some precision shooting. Guns are illegal. You’re a doctor, when would you have time to visit shooting ranges? And how are you so cool about shooting a man if you haven’t done it before?”

“I’m a doctor, I’m good with my hands…” Elrond muttered.

“Alright fine, don’t tell me,” Aragorn gave up. “I’ll be back in thirty.” And with that he left.

Elrond didn’t talk about his time in the army. It was the one thing he wasn’t open with people about, because he hated that part of his life. He would regret, however, if he didn’t tell Alassë the truth, and he knew that. He would do it when she was ready. It was forty five minutes before Aragorn came back with the dogs. He went for the freezer and pulled out a bunch of raw meat, placing it in the dogs’ bowls, and cracked an egg each for them.

“She has them on a raw diet. Better for their stomachs,” he explained when he noticed Elrond watching him. He just nodded slowly.

“You’re right, I was in the army. I’ve been in three wars. Put any weapon in my hand, I know how to use it,” Elrond admitted. Aragorn crossed his arms and leaned against the chest of drawers.

“Shit. Wouldn’t have guessed that about you.”   
“You and everyone else,” he said, stroking Alassë’s cheek as she began to stir. Her eyes opened and she looked confused.

“Suzie…” she mumbled.

“What?” Aragorn asked.

“I have to call Suzie… I have a shift tomorrow… I have to tell her… where’s my phone?” she asked. Aragorn quickly found her phone and handed it to her. It only took one ring before Suzie picked up.

“ _ Darlin’, oh my god, are you alright? I’m watching the news, Green Dragon, isn’t that where you sing? Are you alright?”  _ she asked rather loudly.

“Yeah… that’s where I sing. I was the target, Suz…”   
“ _ Are you hurt, are you in the hospital, do you want me to come over?” _ _   
_ “I-I’m not hurt, I wasn’t the one who got shot. I’m home, Elrond and Aragorn are with me. But he held a gun to my head, Suzie, I was so scared…” She began to cry again, and Elrond wrapped his arms tighter around her. “I just… I don’t think I can come in tomorrow, I have to go talk to the police…” she mumbled.

“ _ Of course you’re not coming in! I wouldn’t let you even if you tried, you just rest and get better, darling, alright, you hear me? I’m so relieved to know you’re not hurt. I hope they get the guy who did it, I’m so sorry you had to go through that, darling. Will you call me tomorrow just to check in? I wanna know how you’re doing,”  _ she insisted.

“Yes. Thank you.”   
_ “Always, babe. Goodnight.” _   
“Night.” Alassë hung up, relieved, then she leaned back into Elrond’s embrace where she had found safety.

“Ally. You okay with Elrond staying with you tonight?” Aragorn asked. All he got as a response was a nod. “You okay with me leaving?” Another nod. “Okay, babe. Call me before you go to the police.”

“Promise,” Alassë agreed. He left, and she soon fell back asleep in Elrond’s arms.

When she woke up, she was alone in the bed. Arya was lounging on the foot of the frame, and for a second she wondered if Elrond had left her in the middle of the night, but then she heard the shower. She laid back in the bed until he came out, his long hair all wet hanging down his back. He had put his jeans back on but no shirt. Alassë blushed when she saw his bare chest. Strong, hairy and scarred, she noticed.

“Morning, love,” he said. “I noticed yesterday that you had some men’s shirts in your wardrobe. Would you mind if I borrowed one? Mine got a bit… red… yesterday.”

“Please do. They’re Aragorn’s, I keep them there because he always forgets to pack a pyjamas, and then his prissy arse gets cold,” she mumbled, making Elrond chuckle. He grabbed a grey tee and put it on. It was quite tight on him. Alassë sat up, pulling the duvet tight around her. “Which wars were you in?” she asked softly. Elrond sighed and sat down next to her.

“You heard that part, did you?” 

“Mm. I woke up when I heard the dogs eating. Please, tell me? How long were you in the army?” She put her hand over his.

“A long time.” He sighed again and ran his other hand through his hair. “The last war I was in was Iraq. Before that, Second World War. Before that... First World War.” Alassë’s mouth dropped open.

“All this time and I never asked you how old you were…” she realised. Elrond chuckled bitterly.

“This year I’ll be three hundred and one.”   
“Wow… I’m only fifty two,” she said.

“This is why humans find us so weird,” Elrond joked and they both laughed. Alassë changed the topic back.

“Is that where those scars come from?” she asked.

“Yes. I was in the army medical services. But we weren’t exempt from the fighting. It hit us too. When we didn’t fight, we healed, when we didn’t heal, we fought. They’re always grateful for elves in the army. We’re quicker, stealthier soldiers and better healers. That’s where I learned to shoot like that. I’m trained how to kill, and how  _ not  _ to kill.” She listened while he talked, nodding along.

“Did you ever get PTSD?” she asked.

“I did. After the First World War. It was worse than the war itself,” he confessed. “Rigorous therapy. At one point it got so bad… I considered taking my own life.” The look in Alassë’s eyes changed. “Don’t ever think you’re weird or fucked up when you’re with me. Chances are big I’ve been through or seen worse.” He reached out to touch her cheek. She smiled, putting her hand over his and leaning in close to him. Their lips met in a soft kiss.

“Thank you for saving my life,” she whispered.

“I’d do it every day for the rest of my life. I want to be with you, Alassë. I don’t want to compete anymore. I’m not asking you to choose at this very moment, I know this is the worst possible time for me to say this, but I’m head over heels in love with you, and I can’t take seeing you with him anymore. Take all the time you need to choose, but until you have, I’m not going any further with you,” Elrond said calmly and quietly. Alassë shook her head.

“I’ve already made my choice. It’s you. It was always you, Elrond. I always knew it, but I was scared. I thought you were too good for me, you’d never have me the way I am… but I’m head over heels in love with you too,” she admitted, and with a warm smile he leaned in, climbing on top of her. Their lips met, and soon they were just four hands tearing at clothes, wrapping themselves in hair, feeling warm skin, soft and calloused, smooth and scarred. Teeth, tongues, lips. They were in a haste until all their clothes were off, only then did they seem to remember themselves. They both laughed, and Elrond ran his hand down Alassë’s cheek.

“Are you sure about this, my love?” he asked gently.

“Never been more sure about anything,” she assured him. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her again. His lips made their his way down her body, whispering words she didn’t know he knew, words she hadn’t heard since she was little. Ancient Elvish. His eyes landed on her tattoo written in the same language.

“Gaw- at i ithil… that’s beautiful. It’s you,” he murmured and kissed it.

“Say it again,” she whispered.

“ _ Gaw- at i ithil. Le bainon, Alassë _ .” She smiled widely.

“I’ve never met anyone else who speaks ancient Elvish,” she murmured. He continued placing soft kisses on her stomach.

“I studied it before they stopped teaching it in the universities. Where did you learn?” he asked, running his hands up her thighs.

“My mother knew it, she taught me… before the drugs made her forget it…”

“It’s a gift,” Elrond murmured, coming up to kiss her lips again. She wrapped her arms around his neck before sliding one to the bedside table, opening a drawer and pulling out a condom.

“I want you, daddy,” she whispered with a smile. He smiled and took the condom from her.

“Then you shall have me, little one,” he said, and his hand disappeared under the duvet. Then she felt him against her, slowly, teasingly up and down, before he gently pushed inside. She gasped and grabbed onto his shoulder. He felt perfect inside her.

With a low groan he started moving, slowly but passionately, holding her tight the whole time. This was right, they both knew it, both felt it, as he picked up the pace slightly. Alassë moaned when he found that sweet spot inside her, making him grin proudly. His teeth nipped at her skin as he pulled back and thrust in again, hitting that spot over and over until Alassë was writhing in pleasure under him.

“Daddy…” she whimpered, wrapping her legs around him to pull him closer, deeper. She needed more, more of him, he was like a drug to her. And he obliged, kissing her neck while he thrust harder and deeper, in and out of her. The heat began to build up inside her and she felt her pussy clench around his cock. She threw her head back and gasped, unable to form words because he felt so good, too good.

“That’s it, little one, gods you’re amazing,” he praised, and she burst. Her climax washed over her and she clung to him for dear life as she came, taking him with her seconds later. His groaning was music to her ears, and soon he buried his face in here neck, and they lay there together, just a panting mess. When he eventually pulled out and got up, Alassë followed.

“Do you wanna prepare some breakfast while I take the dogs out, or do you wanna come with?” she asked, planting a kiss on his bare shoulder.

“I’ll have breakfast ready when you come back. Do I get free hands?” he asked with a sweet smile she couldn’t deny.

“Yep. Raid any cabinet you want,” she said before kissing him. “See ya in a bit.” She shimmied into her clothes, grabbed a cap instead of fixing her hair, then she attached Sandor and Arya to her waist and took them out. She felt more anxious than normal. Jake knew where she lived, if he wanted to hurt her, he knew where. But his brother was in the hospital now, so at least there was that.

The walk wasn’t more adventurous than normal, and she returned home safe and sound to the smell of pancakes. She smiled when she came inside. Elrond was humming a cheery tune while flipping American pancakes. He was still shirtless, wearing only jeans, much to Alassë’s delight. She filled up the dog bowls with their meaty breakfast.

“Netflix is on the TV, coffee is ready, pancakes done in just a sec. Pick what you want to watch and sit down, I’ll be there in a minute,” Elrond said.   
“I could get used to this,” she joked, kissing his strong back before obeying. She put on an episode of Friends, and the four of them had a lovely slow morning. Elrond had apparently spent his three hundred years training to make the most perfect pancakes in the world, or at least so Alassë insisted it must have been, because they were the best she had ever tasted. They paused Netflix after a while and talked. She told him everything she had left out before. She told him about her sister who was bipolar, about how she had killed herself exactly a year after her husband. She told him about her mother’s downfall from healthy to a drug addict. And she told him all about Jake, and his brother Paul.

“They’re both psychos. Only difference Paul has been to jail a bunch of times. While Jake used hands, Paul uses weapons…”

“So, let’s go put him in jail again,” Elrond said. Alassë hid her face under a blanket and whimpered. “Come on, darling. We have to go to the police, you have to give a statement.”   
“I know…” she whined.

“I’ll be with you the whole time if you want. You’ll be okay. But if you don’t go down there, they’re not gonna be able to lock him up.”   
“Fiiine. Gotta call Aragorn,” she groaned and rolled over, finding her phone and dialing.


	16. Officer Barkley

Elrond drove them to the police station, and they headed up to the front desk together.

“I’m uh, I’m here to report a crime, or something” Alassë mumbled. “Happened yesterday, the bar shooting. An officer told me to come in today and give a statement… or something.”

“Of course, wait over there, just a sec,” the woman behind the desk said. They sat down on a bench, and soon, the male officer from yesterday appeared.

“Hi, you two. I’m officer James Barkley,” he said and shook their hands.   
“Elrond Peredhel.”

“Alassë Belteriel. We’ve uh, we’ve met before…” she mumbled. Officer Barkley furrowed his brows, thinking. Then he realised.

“Oh shit, I  _ do  _ remember you, sorry, love! You were in here a few years back, almost dead due to that bastard of a boyfriend,” he remembered. Elrond looked pained, and Alassë smiled sadly.

“Yep. That was me,” she said.

“Well I’m glad to see you with someone else,” he looked at the man by her side.” Alright, follow me.”

“Hey, wait, I was there too!” Aragorn burst in through the door, looking like he just woke up.

“Alright, this way you too,” Barkley motioned forwards. He led them all into separate rooms, and Elrond assured Alassë she would be alright, kissing her forehead before they parted. She tugged her sleeves down over her hands and chewed them as she sat down in the plastic chair. Barkley sat opposed to her.

“Right, Miss Belteriel. You ditch that boyfriend of yours by now?”

“Two years ago, yeah.”   
“The elf, Elrond, what’s your relation to him?” Barkley asked. Alassë smiled slightly.

“Boyfriend, officially since this morning.” The officer seemed happy.

“Congratulations. He treating you right?”   
“He’s treating me wonderfully.”   
“Good. So, yesterday your friend said he saved your life,” he recapped.” All we saw when we came in was him with a gun nearby, and a man shot on the floor. Tell me what you remember of the event,” Barkley asked. Alassë told him her version of what happened, trying not to leave out any details, she mentioned yelling at the blonde girl and her coming back with him later.

“Any relation to the blonde girl?” Barkley asked. Alassë shook her head.

“Never seen her before. But Paul, the guy who came in with the gun, he’s my ex’s brother. I know Jake was behind this, I’m sure of it. Maybe blonde girl is his new girlfriend or something, I don’t know…”

“Why would Jake and his brother want to hurt you?”

“Because they’re both violent psychos who hate me.”   
“Alright. The bartender, or bar owner, was it?” Alassë nodded. “What’s your relation to him?”   
“He’s been my best friend since forever. You’ve met him too, he’s the one who kept bringing me in here every time Jake hit me. Without him I’d be dead, for sure. And you wouldn’t have like two hundred reports about Jake from me. You’d have zero.”   
“Alright.” Barkley closed his notepad. “You’ve been great to tell me all of this. My colleagues are getting your friend and boyfriend’s statements, too. We’ll compare notes. I promise you, miss Belteriel, we’ll do everything we can to put this man behind bars.”   
“Again,” she muttered. Barkley let out something between a scoff and a chuckle.

“Yeah. Hopefully for longer this time.” When she went outside, Elrond and Aragorn were chatting with each other by the door already. They both wrapped an arm each around her when she walked up to them chewing her own lip.

“How’d it go, Ally?” Aragorn asked, planting a kiss in her hair.

“Fine, I think. Barkley’s nice.”   
“Oh yeah. He remember you?”   
“Yeah, but not you,” she said and chuckled. Aragorn shrugged.

“Probably better that way,” he joked. “I need coffee, what about you guys?” Elrond and Alassë agreed, and they went to the nearest cafe.

The days rolled on and slowly Alassë was beginning to feel like herself again. She didn’t look around herself everywhere she went, she wasn’t scared to take her dogs out for their walks, and she returned to work. The wildlife center was where she truly relaxed. The friendly wolves brought her peace of mind. She tossed out some chicken carcases here and there for the wolves to find, and when all her tasks were done she simply sat in the woods watching the wolves while singing quietly to herself.

Suzie was still asking her every day she was at the shelter how she was doing. She was worried about Alassë despite the elf telling her she was alright, but she stayed away from the bar the coming Friday. The Green Dragon was the one thing that gave her anxiety. Aragorn reassured her it would be alright if she stayed home. She promised she would reconsider for next week, just not right now. So instead of singing at the bar, Alassë was in Elrond’s black BMW, she was going to see his place for the first time. He lived further away than she expected, but finally he pulled into a large driveway. Alassë looked around in amazement.

“No way you live here!” she burst out.

“Yes way,” Elrond sassed and they got out of the car. There was a curved walkway leading up to a large, white wood, two-story house.

“I think you might have been right when you said I underestimated a cardiologist’s salary…” she mumbled as Elrond turned the key and opened the door. The entrance of the house was fantastic, lined with wardrobes, and in the middle there were curved stair with iron railing leading up the the second story.

“Told you,” Elrond said as he took her jacket and hung it up.

“Those railings are gorgeous,” Alassë said.

“Thank you, I smid them.” She stared at him in awe.

“Is there anything you can’t do!?” she asked with a laugh.

“Guess you’ll have to find out. Come on, I’ll show you around.” She let him take her on a house tour. The kitchen was huge, with marble floors and stone counters, and a lovely kitchen island in the middle. The dining room matched, and in it there were stairs leading down to-

“A wine cellar!? Really!” she burst out.

“I enjoy fine wines,” Elrond said defensively.

“I thought you only drank Irish Coffee,” she joked. Then he took her through a hallway with glass windows facing a courtyard.

“You have a courtyard!” Alassë exclaimed. Elrond looked proud as she gawked at the beautiful courtyard with a pool and lots of pretty flowers and bushes. The walked up the stairs and he showed her the bedrooms. Two guest bedrooms and one master with a king sized bed made with silk sheets. “I know what we’re doing on that bed later,” she said suggestively and bit her lip. Elrond chuckled darkly and smacked her bum as she walked, making her squeal and giggle.

Stairs led them down again into the bigger livingroom, with big windows facing the forest right outside. It had everything, a big tv, a fireplace, large cozy sofas and plenty of plants. She walked over to the bookshelf and started looking through his books. Plenty of medical books she barely understood. Some political biographies.

“Did you ever get to meet Churchill?” she asked, tracing har finger down a book about him.

“I’ve shaken hands with him,” Elrond answered. Alassë gasped and stared at him.

“That’s so cool…” she praised. Elrond chuckled.

“This is the first time you’ve said something positive about a politician. I thought you hated politics,” he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Just because I don’t enjoy politics doesn’t know I don’t know anything about it. Churchill defeated Hitler! You fought the nazis. Nazis are the scum of the earth, therefore I like Churchill;” she explained. Elrond shrugged.

“Fair enough. You know that quote on your wall was said by him, right? The one above your bed, ‘Never give in, never, never, never.’”

“Actually I didn’t know that,” she said.

“I was there when he said it.” Alassë nodded, continuing her look-through of his shelves. There was a picture of a beautiful blonde elf woman, and beside it laid a gold band. She traced the picture frame with one finger.

“Who’s this?” she asked softly. Elrond looked slightly uncomfortable for the first time.

“That, uh… that’s my wife,” he admitted. Alassë’s gut turned and anxiety welled up in her throat as she moved away from the picture. Elrond noticed her reaction. “No, I mean… I’m not… I’m not married. She’s not alive,” he explained, and Alassë understood.

“You’re a widower,” she stated. He nodded. “What’s her name?”   
“Celebrían,” he answered.

“How long were you married?”

“Sixty years.”   
“How did she… if I may ask…” Alassë mumbled, not sure how to phrase her question without sounding insensitive. Elrond sat down on the sofa.

“You may. She died during World War Two. Her name was Celebrían Feinberg.” He gave her a moment to put the pieces together herself. She sunk down on the couch next to him when she realised.

“That’s a jewish name. Was she…”

“Gassed to death by nazis, yes,” Elrond practically growled through gritted teeth, and Alassë’s hand instinctively came up to cover her mouth. She tried to fight the tears in her eyes but failed.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, reaching out to put her hand on his arm. He leaned into her as the tears in his own eyes dried. They sat in silence for minutes, with Alassë just gently brushing through his hair with her fingers. He seemed to enjoy that, letting out a small sigh of relief before he straightened up again.

“I never meant to withhold that from you or anything. It just never came up,” he said. She shook her head.

“It’s okay. I know now, that’s enough.” He nodded.

“Nothing gave me more satisfaction back then than shooting nazis.”   
“Understandable…” He sighed.

“I never remarried. I tried dating, but it didn’t work out. I’ve never loved anyone after her. Not until now,” Elrond said seriously and looked her in the eye. “Do you understand then, how much I care about you?” he asked. Alassë put her hand on his cheek.   
“Yes. And I you.” She kissed him softly, and he wrapped his warm arms around her waist. They stayed that way for quite a while before either of them spoke again.

“You’re not gonna spring any surprise children on me, are you?” Alassë asked, and Elrond chuckled quietly.

“No, no children. Brí couldn’t have them,” he explained.

“Ah… Do you want children, at some point?”

“I’ve made peace with the idea of not having any, but yes, I’d like children. What about you?” he asked, pushing a lock of hair behind Alassë’s ear.

“I’d like kids. Do you want to live in this town forever or do you want to move?”

“I don’t ever want to leave this house,” Elrond said instantly. “I can compromise on most things in my life. I can find other work, I can have zero or ten kids, I can be single or married, but if there’s one thing set in stone, it’s this house. I spent ten years finding the perfect location. I designed it myself, I hired the help and built it along with them, taking care to get every detail exactly how I wanted it. I can repaint the walls and change some of the furniture, lock fragile pieces up to dog-proof the place, but I’m not leaving. This house is my palace,” he explained. “There’s nowhere I feel more at peace. What about you, where do you imagine yourself living in five years?” Alassë smiled at the question.

“They say home is where the heart is, and mine is with you.”


	17. What Happened After

Paul admitted to his crime, and he even ratted out his own brother as the brains behind the attempted shooting, they were both sentenced to multiple years in prison. Alassë returned to singing at the Green Dragon every Friday. Three years after the first time they met, Elrond and Alassë proclaimed their love for each other for all to hear in the forest where they had their first date. Sandor and Arya were ring-bearers, Elrond’s brother Elros was the best man, and Suzie the maid of honour.

Another two years after that, Alassë and Elrond welcomed their first child, a brown haired boy named Aragorn Winston Peredhel, after his godfather and a British prime minister. A few years later he received a little sister, Bríanna Peredhel, named in memory of Elrond’s late first wife.

The Peredhel house was a lively place, filled with the laugher of small children and the barking of six wolf dog puppies. Elrond went on to open his own medical clinic, and Alassë eventually landed a record deal and began writing and producing her own songs, yet she never stopped working at the wolfdog shelter. She later found out that the record label was funded by  _ Lasgalen Inc,  _ a company started and owned by Thranduil, who later sold it off to fund his own political campaign within the Conservative Party where he beat out Boris Johnson with ease. In the upcoming election, he won the race with eight percent and became the first elvish prime minister of the UK. Alassë refused to admit whether she voted for him or not. He never found his soulmate, but the comfort of being Britain’s richest, most powerful man numbed the pain of it. But he found friends for life, and every Christmas he was welcome to the Peredhel house for dinner. Every year with no exception, the evening ended with Alassë and Aragorn mixing martinis and Irish Coffees while Thranduil and Elrond engaged in heated political debates.

For the first time, Alassë found herself not hating the topic, and she learned a lot from listening to her husband debate the prime minister. She was happier with life than she ever could have imagined when she first stepped onto the stage of the Green Dragon all those years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this fic to everyone who made it this far. Hope you've enjoyed it! <3


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